New Health Insurance Findings from University of Toronto Described (Examining the use of health systems and policy research in the health…

New Health Insurance Findings from University of Toronto Described (Examining the use of health systems and policy research in the health policymaking process in Israel: views of researchers)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- Investigators discuss new findings in Health Insurance. According to news originating from Toronto, Canada, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "All too often, health policy and management decisions are made without making use of or consulting with the best available research evidence, which can lead to ineffective and inefficient health systems. One of the main actors that can ensure the use of evidence to inform policymaking is researchers."

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Toronto, "The objective of this study is to explore Israeli health systems and policy researchers' views and perceptions regarding the role of health systems and policy research (HSPR) in health policymaking and the barriers and facilitators to the use of evidence in the policymaking process. A survey of researchers who have conducted HSPR in Israel was developed. The survey consisted of a demographics section and closed questions, which focused on support both within the researchers' organisations and the broader environment for KTE activities, perceptions on the policymaking process, and the potential influencing factors on the process. The survey was sent to all health systems and policy researchers in Israel from academic institutions, hospital settings, government agencies, the four health insurance funds, and research institutes (n = 107). All responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. For close-ended questions about level of agreement we combined together the two highest categories (agree or strongly agree) for analysis. Thirty-seven respondents participated in the survey. While many respondents felt that the use of HSPR may help raise awareness on policy issues, the majority of respondents felt that the actual use of HSPR was hindered for many reasons. While facilitators do exist to support the use of research evidence in policymaking, numerous barriers hinder the process such as challenges in government/provider relations, policymakers lacking the expertise for acquiring, assessing, and applying HSPR and priorities in the health system drawing attention away from HSPR. Furthermore, it is perceived by a majority of respondents that the health insurance funds and the physician organisations exert a strong influence in the policymaking process. Health system and policy researchers in Israel need to be introduced to the benefits and potential advantages of evidence-informed policy in an organised and systematic way."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Future research should examine the perceptions of policymakers in Israel and thus we can gain a broader perspective on where the actual issues lie."

For more information on this research see: Examining the use of health systems and policy research in the health policymaking process in Israel: views of researchers. Health Research Policy and Systems, 2016;14():1-11. Health Research Policy and Systems can be contacted at: Biomed Central Ltd, 236 Grays Inn Rd, Floor 6, London WC1X 8HL, England. (BioMed Central - www.biomedcentral.com/; Health Research Policy and Systems - www.health-policy-systems.com)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from of Toronto, Inst Hlth Policy Management & Evaluat, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada. Additional authors for this research include J.N. Lavis and J. Shemer (see also Health Insurance).

Keywords for this news article include: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North and Central America, Health Insurance, University of Toronto.

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