Embedded research works
Over the last 20 years the CHPS programme has transformed the way health services are delivered in Ghana. And embedded research has been fundamental to its success.
Evidence of Success
Ghana’s embedded research approach has brought together all stakeholders to support better health and well-being - from communities and frontline staff to researchers and policy-makers. It has shown which interventions will work and why. And when things are not working as expected, it has enabled Ghana’s health workers and researchers to identify the causes and find solutions.
Most importantly, Ghana’s experience shows it is an approach that other countries can benefit from. The beauty of embedded research is that it can be applied to a wide range of issues in the health system, in many different contexts. Dr Boateng is clear that others can benefit, “This is something that should be emulated. We should do more research and disseminate this approach for others to look at as well.”
In Ghana, embedded research has prompted learning at the individual level. For Ms Teye the training has built skills that have helped her to offer the best service possible to her community. For her, CHPS is about creating a more equitable society, where the circumstances of birth do not dictate the quality of care received.
And it is shaping the way that health care will be delivered for years to come. As part of the programme, Professor Kweku’s team at UHAS have had a chance to directly and closely engage with health workers and communities. Learning from the embedded research has enabled them to update and sharpen their teaching modules. With the help of embedded research, they are training and supporting the health workforce of the future.
But learning from embedded research also reverberates throughout the health system. The CHPS System Learning Districts are pioneering tangible changes in practice that other districts in Ghana can learn from. This approach is supported at the highest level of the health system. Dr Nsiah-Asare believes that it could also provide a template for other countries to explore,
“We in Ghana believe in research embedded in policy. If anybody is listening, we believe that is the way that every country whether developed or developing should go.”
