Embedding RApid Reviews in Health Systems Decision-Making (ERA) in India

The Government of India has demonstrated commitment towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by initiating several high profile health systems reforms under its Ayushman Bharat scheme. This policy shift, as well as the ongoing agenda of India’s National Health Mission, require the demand-driven and timely generation and use of research valued and prioritised by health systems stakeholders. Reviews of health policy and systems research evidence can support decision-makers by providing relevant and actionable evidence at every step in the decision-making process. Rapid reviews are a form of evidence synthesis in which components of the systematic review process are tailored, modified and optimised to enable the production of information in a timely manner and in a contextualised fashion.

The project of the George Institute for Global Health, India (TGI) in collaboration with the National Health Systems Resource Centre, India has the following objectives: 

  1. To develop and understand operationalization of a rapid evidence syntheses platform, response to health policy and systems decision making  in India;
  2. To develop and implement tools for efficient production of rapid reviews, rapid policy briefs and other evidence syntheses products;
  3. To catalyse in-country collaboration of with evidence syntheses specialists, policymakers and other stakeholders (including patient groups and civil society organizations) to foster demand and use of rapid reviews and other evidence syntheses products in HPSR decision making; and
  4. To strengthen institutional capacity to develop and disseminate rapid reviews and other related knowledge translation products.

Funder: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, W.H.O.

Partner Organization: National Health Systems Resource Centre, India

External Collaborator: Dr Rajani Ved, NHSRC

Download 'Making informed health systems and policy decisions: The role of rapid evidence synthesis' (PDF 74 KB)

Download 'Rapid Policy Brief for Mid-level health providers (MLHPs) for primary healthcare' (PDF 1 MB)

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Further reading