Linking researchers and policy-makers: some challenges and approaches / Articulação entre pesquisadores e formuladores de políticas: alguns desafios e abordagens

In developing a proposal for the study of the effect of user fees on access to preventive care, a team, comprising researchers and policy-makers, initiated interaction with key policy implementers in the Jamaica's Ministry of Health to ensure that their perspectives were considered at the preliminary stage. There were many pressing events occupying the minds and energies of the implementers, but the team was able to capitalize on existing good relationships to capture attention. In the interviews that followed, agreement was reached on the necessity for the study, its focus and methodology. The process of consultation achieved notable successes and can be regarded as a model for successful research and policy interaction.

Diante da proposta de cobrança aos usuários de atendimentos preventivos (defendida pelos implementadores de políticas-chave do Ministério da Saúde da Jamaica), uma equipe de pesquisadores e formuladores de políticas apresentou um projeto de pesquisa visando a estudar os efeitos dessa cobrança de honorários pagos diretamente, e solicitaram ainda que os achados do estudo fossem considerados nesta fase preliminar. Embora a agenda do Ministério da Saúde fosse permeada de muitas questões prementes, a equipe de pesquisa conseguiu potencializar as relações produtivas preexistentes e garantir espaço na agenda do Ministério da Saúde. As negociações levaram a um consenso sobre a necessidade do estudo, seu enfoque e metodologia. O processo de consulta alcançou sucessos notáveis e pode ser considerado um modelo para a interação bem-sucedida entre pesquisa e política.

Health and socioeconomic status in St. Lucia

This dissertation examines the relationship between health status and socioeconomic status in St. Lucia. Data for the study were collected during a nationwide survey carried out in St Lucia in 1990. Using bivarite and multivariate analyses, the pattern of relationship between health and socioeconomic status was examined and defined. The analyses showed that there was a persistent pattern in the relationship between health and socioeconomic status generally, the higher the socioeconomic status of an individual, the better the health status. Recognizing that the link between health and socioeconomic status is the access to health facilities, the accessibility and utilization of the private and public health facilities by the various socioeconomic groups are also examined. The study reveals that the disadvantaged socioeconomic groups generally have more diabilities, possess less access to better quality care and utilize the public health care facilities more than the other socioeconomic groups. The study ends with some guidelines for future research in the Caribbean.