TDR-supported studies on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Ghana supporting frontline workers in the health, agriculture and environment sectors were recently evaluated for their impact. Many have significantly influenced national health policy and practice, showing the value of taking a One Health approach.
The Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) led by TDR is a global partnership that helps countries and institutions conduct operational research aligned with their priorities. It aims to build sustainable operational research capacity and support evidence-informed decisions for improving programme performance.
SORT IT supports implementers such as doctors, nurses, paramedical officers, agriculturalists, environmental officers, data analysts and programme officers, many of whom have little or no prior research experience. Participants receive research training on how collect and analyse the data within their programmes to answer locally relevant questions.
Nine published studies that resulted from a SORT IT training cycle in Ghana were assessed for impact. The findings were recently published in a Special Issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease and are summarized in the table below.
"To ensure 'value for money,' accountability is key. Yet in practice, researchers and institutions rarely track the impact of their work beyond the publication milestone," TDR Scientist Rony Zachariah and co-authors said in an accompanying editorial. "SORT IT addresses this gap by embedding assessment of the influence of research on policy and practice."
Links to research studies:
1. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/17/10823
2. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/10/288
3. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12968
4. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/10/282
5. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/11/301
6. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/9/266
7. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/9/259
8. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/10/291
9. https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/9/270
For more information, please contact Dr Rony Zachariah.