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Health Policy and Planning Advance Access published online on May 2, 2007
Health Policy and Planning, doi:10.1093/heapol/czm013
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Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2007; all rights reserved.

Getting results used: evidence from reproductive health programmatic research in Guatemala

Carlos Brambila1,*, Emma Ottolenghi2, Celeste Marin3 and Jane T Bertrand4

1Director, Research Center, Graduate School of Public Administration and Public Policies, Tecnológico de Monterrey, México City. At the time this article was written: Program Associate, Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program (FRONTIERS), Population Council, Washington DC, USA.
2Senior Consulting Associate, FRONTIERS, Population Council, Washington DC, USA.
3Research and Evaluation Officer, NetMark, Academy for Educational Development, Washington DC, USA. At the time this article was written: Evaluation Associate. FRONTIERS, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.
4Director, Center for Communication Programs, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Previously Professor at Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.

* Corresponding author. Escuela de Graduados en Administración Pública y Políticas Públicas, Instituto Tecnológico de Montrerrey, Campus Ciudad de México, Calle del Puente 222, Tlalpan, México, D.F. 14380, México. E-mail: carlos.brambila{at}itesm.mx.

This article reviews 44 operations research projects aiming to improve reproductive health services in Guatemala, conducted by the Population Council from 1988 to 2001. It documents the experience of the research programme, traces the extent to which research results are identifiable in existing programmes, and analyses factors influencing utilization.

Utilization of research results occurs as a gradual process of information sharing, where researchers influence decision-makers through a continual stream of information rather than a single set of findings. Utilization depends on leadership, collaborative planning and implementation, close monitoring, and feasible research designs, among other factors. To influence policy formulation, organizations should form enduring links among institutions and develop critical research skills among personnel who collaborate with or manage service programmes. To understand how operations research affects policy and programme change, one must consider not just individual projects, but rather the synergistic impact of multiple projects on a broad range of themes over time.

Key Words: Guatemala, operations research, research utilization, family planning, contraception

Accepted for publication 20 February 2007.


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