PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Cambe, Maria Isabel AU - Botão, Carlos AU - Dulá, Janeth AU - Muamine, Elídio AU - Mahumane, Sérgio AU - Alberto, Carla AU - Chicumbe, Sérgio TI - The Use of Research for Health Systems Policy Development and Implementation in Mozambique: A Descriptive Study AID - 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00694 DP - 2022 Sep 15 TA - Global Health: Science and Practice PG - e2100694 VI - 10 IP - Supplement 1 4099 - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/10/Supplement_1/e2100694.short 4100 - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/10/Supplement_1/e2100694.full SO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT2022 Sep 15; 10 AB - Key MessagesDespite the large volume of robust evidence available from research conducted in Mozambique, a large know-do gap remains between what the evidence suggests for appropriate action and what is implemented.Evidence has neither been disseminated systematically to policy makers nor in a way that policy makers can easily interpret and use, thus it has not been translated into policy priorities in evidence-based policy making processes.Current research priorities do not always align with the key policy questions for current health reform efforts because research institutions, influenced by international donor fundings, have focused on implementing research projects that address global research agendas rather than the specific needs of Mozambique.Mozambique does not yet have good platforms and mechanisms for researchers to disseminate their findings to policy makers to inform policy questions or research priorities.Key ImplicationsResearch institutions, policy makers, and other stakeholders in Mozambique should collaborate to develop platforms that allow for evidence to be accessible and useful to policy makers and set domestically relevant healthy policy and systems research (HPSR) agendas that align with key health policy concerns.Domestic and international donors, as well as the Government of Mozambique, should expand funding for research institutions in Mozambique to conduct domestically relevant HPSR.Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is generating an increasing amount of evidence in Mozambique, where implementation of a wide range of public health policies and interventions, and innovative technologies and solutions, is underway. We used qualitative methods to explore the relationship between HPSR and policy development and implementation in Mozambique. We conducted a literature review and in-depth interviews with researchers, experts, and policy makers. Through our analysis, we assessed barriers to the use of research evidence in the development and implementation of national health policies and identified potential opportunities to improve evidence use in this context.We found an increasing number of research institutions producing solid scientific evidence in the country, with activities in health in general and health systems specifically. There is also a growing trend for decision makers and policy makers to use the results of research during the design, formulation, and implementation of health policies. Most HPSR conducted in Mozambique is funded by international donors and focused on research questions of international interest. Therefore, research generated in Mozambique does not always address questions that are relevant to the local health system development agenda.While Mozambique has a lot of “gray literature” outlets, few of its publications support the translation of research evidence into policy. Much of the evidence generated in country is disseminated through project reports and briefings, not peer-reviewed literature. Furthermore, when the research evidence generated is not locally relevant, results may be published only in English and in scientific articles, instead of in formats useful to Mozambican policy makers—to the detriment of national-level understanding and use. We recommend that research institutions and policy makers in Mozambique collaborate on developing a platform that consolidates HPSR, making it more accessible and useful to policy makers.