CFPs: Developing Health Systems Impact Modelling Approaches in LMICs

Despite an increased recognition of the importance of investing in health systems strengthening, national and global level stakeholders continue to grapple with how to quantify the impact of investments in and reallocation of health system inputs (including human resources for health, financial resources and pharmaceuticals) on improvements in health service delivery, health outputs and outcomes.

Objectives 

• The principal objectives of this work programme are to:
  • Co-create and apply health systems modelling approaches to address policy-maker questions related to the impact of health systems interventions on service delivery and health outcomes in selected LMICs;
  • Through the process of convening, co-creating and applying modelling approaches, facilitate the establishment of policy ecosystems in supported LMICs where policy-makers are able and motivated to use modelling approaches to inform health system related investments; and
  • Utilize modelling approaches to make the case with global health funders, including global health initiatives, for increased investments in health systems strengthening and to design health systems strengthening investments that consider effects beyond single diseases and minimize negative effects on the broader system.
• More generally, this programme also aims to:
  • Advance the field of health systems modelling and generate new country-level and cross-national knowledge. This includes crosscountry lessons on appropriate modelling approaches as well as systematically capturing best practices around the process of conducting the modelling exercises;
  • Strengthen in-country capacities for health system modelling through a learning-by-doing approach; and
  • Facilitate the establishment and convening of a learning community around health systems modelling within the broader health policy and systems research community.

Funding Information

• The maximum funding for a given proposal will be US$ 160,000 for a period from October 2024 to September 2026.

Key Definitions 

• Health systems modelling 
  • In simplest terms, a health systems model estimates the impact of health systems interventions. Health systems interventions are interventions that seek to strengthen health systems building blocks or improve the functioning of a health system. For example, interventions that aim to strengthen the health workforce, increase the availability of supplies and equipment or improve service delivery.
• Health systems intervention 
  • Health systems interventions aim to improve the functioning of a health system, typically by strengthening one or more of the health systems building blocks, as conceptualized in the WHO Building Blocks Framework [6]. For the purposes of this project, the exact definition of each building block is not important; rather, they use the term generally to mean the different aspects or components of a health system. The ultimate goal of a health systems intervention is an improvement in service delivery and health outcomes. The effects of a health systems intervention are likely to act horizontally, across multiple disease programmes.

Expected Outputs and Outcomes 

• In terms of outputs, teams supported by this programme are expected to use health systems modelling to address a question raised by policy-makers within their own setting. The results of this modelling exercise would be demonstrated through technical briefs and one or two peer-reviewed publications.
• Given the programme’s overall objectives, success will be judged in terms of the extent to which:
  • the research team puts in place an inclusive process to develop and implement the modelling approach that brings together the full range of relevant stakeholders at national and/or subnational levels; and
  • the project advances the establishment of learning ecosystems that, over time, routinize the use of modelling approaches and data more broadly to inform health systems policy and practice.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding the:
  • The principal investigator must be based in a research/academic institution in one of the countries eligible for this call for proposals. These countries are: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda and South Africa.
  • The team must include at least one policy-maker currently working in the health system at the national or subnational level whose role must be clearly identified in the proposal.
  • 50% of the core research team must comprise female researchers.
  • The proposal must put forth a modelling approach that makes the link between a health systems intervention and service delivery related outputs and/or health outcomes towards addressing one of the two overarching questions

Selection Criteria

• Selection of studies to fund will be done by at least two external reviewers and adjudicated by the Alliance Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee based on criteria including:
  • Demonstrable alignment with a policy process/impending policy process;
  • Experience of the research team in engaging policy-makers in research processes;
  • The policy relevance of the chosen research question and the potential policy applicability of answers to this research question;
  • The potential of the research question to be feasibly modelled within the programme timeframe;
  • Availability of data to answer the identified research question;
  • The clarity of the proposed modelling approach, as articulated in text and through a schematic diagram or visualization;
  • Capacity of the research team to implement the proposed modelling approach;
  • A clearly articulated overview of the process through which the team plans to implement this work programme from inception to dissemination; and
  • Value for money.

For more information, visit Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.