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To fill the gap in health research capacity-building efforts, we created the 'Virtual Library' (VL) – a web-based repository of context-relevant resources for health researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper describes the participatory process used to systematically develop the VL, and describes how our interprofessional team – representing both an LMIC (Nepal) and a high-income country (HIC) (USA, US) – engaged in shared meaning-making. A team of researchers and clinicians representing a range of subdisciplines from Nepal and the US created a replicable search strategy and standardized Resource Screening Guide (RSG) to systematically assess resources to be included within the VL. Descriptive methods were used to summarize findings from the RSG and lessons learned from the collaborative process. Collectively, 14 team members reviewed 564 potential resources (mean = 40, SD = 22.7). Mean RSG score was 7.02/10 (SD = 2). More than 76% of resources met each of the four quality criteria (relevant; reputable, accessible; understandable). Within the published VL, 298 resources were included, organized by 15 topics and 45 sub-topics. Of these, 223 resources were evaluated by the RSG; 75 were identified by team member expertise. The collaborative process involved regular meetings, iterative document revisions, and peer review. Resource quality was better than expected, perhaps because best practices/principles related to health research are universally relevant, regardless of context. While the RSG was essential to systematize our search and ensure reproducibility, team member expertise was valuable. Pairing team members during peer-review led to bi-directional knowledge sharing and was particularly successful. This work reflects a highly collaborative global partnership and offers a model for future health research capacity-building efforts. We invite engagement with the Virtual Library <> as one supportive pillar of infrastructure to develop individual and institutional research capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:In the United States, an emphasis on evidence-based decision-making in education has received renewed interest with the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. However, how best, in practice, to support the use of evidence in educational decision-making remains unclear. Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are a popular strategy for cultivating evidence-based decision-making among educators, but understanding the ways in which partnerships can influence educators’ use of research evidence in their decision-making is limited. Purpose:This paper explores the influence that Research Practice Partnerships can have on educators’ evidence-based decision-making. Sources of evidence:A framework is offered for examining the impact of Research Practice Partnerships on behaviours such as educators’ evidence-based decision-making, in the context of school and district improvement efforts. The framework suggests a host of intermediary and long-term outputs: for example, the ‘mindsets’ of researchers and practitioners which are most conducive to enabling evidence-based decision-making among those engaged in Research Practice Partnerships. We explore this framework through short illustrations of the experiences of three Research Practice Partnerships, contextualising the ideas within the literature, and presenting the process of our design and pilot of a survey instrument used to examine the perceived impact of Research Practice Partnerships. Main argument:We argue that participants’ self-reported behaviours and perceptions are important elements in examining the influence of Research Practice Partnerships on educators’ evidence-based decision-making. Additionally, this paper examines the potential benefits and challenges of attempting to measure the outputs and outcomes of a Research Practice Partnership using a survey measure. Conclusions:The process of developing the pilot survey suggests that certain conditions in Research Practice Partnerships may be more conducive to the development among educators of behaviours, mindsets and perceptions associated with evidence-based decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In a post-war frontier area in north-western Nicaragua that was severely hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, local stakeholders embarked on and facilitated multi-dimensional development initiatives to break the cycles of poverty. Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the process of priority-setting, and the strategies, guiding principles, activities, achievements, and lessons learned in these local development efforts from 1990 to 2014 in the Cuatro Santos area, Nicaragua. Methods: Data were derived from project records and a Health and Demographic Surveillance System that was initiated in 2004. The area had 25,893 inhabitants living in 5,966 households in 2014. Results: A participatory process with local stakeholders and community representatives resulted in a long-term strategic plan. Guiding principles were local ownership, political reconciliation, consensus decision-making, social and gender equity, an environmental and public health perspective, and sustainability. Local data were used in workshops with communities to re-prioritise and formulate new goals. The interventions included water and sanitation, house construction, microcredits, environmental protection, school breakfasts, technical training, university scholarships, home gardening, breastfeeding promotion, and maternity waiting homes. During the last decade, the proportion of individuals living in poverty was reduced from 79 to 47%. Primary school enrolment increased from 70 to 98% after the start of the school breakfast program. Under-five mortality was around 50 per 1,000 live births in 1990 and again peaked after Hurricane Mitch and was approaching 20 per 1,000 in 2014. Several of the interventions have been scaled up as national programs. Conclusions: The lessons learned from the Cuatro Santos initiative underline the importance of a bottom-up approach and local ownership of the development process, the value of local data for monitoring and evaluation, and the need for multi-dimensional local interventions to break the cycles of poverty and gain better health and welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]