Ermel K Johnson

Background: There is increasing interest globally in the use of more rigorous processes to ensure that maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care recommendations are informed by the best available research evidence use. The purpose of this study was to engage Nigerian MNCH policy-makers and other stakeholders to consider issues around research to policy and practice interface and to assess their existing knowledge and capacity on the use of research evidence for policy-making and practice. Methods: The study design is a cross-sectional evaluation of MNCH stakeholders' knowledge as it pertains different dimensions of research to practice. This was undertaken during a national MNCH stakeholders' engagement event convened under the auspices of the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) in Abuja, Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to participants, which was designed to assess participants' knowledge, capacity and organizational process of generation, synthesis and utilization of research evidence in policy-making regarding MNCH. Results: A total of 40 participants signed the informed consent form and completed the questionnaire. The mean ratings (MNRs) of participants' knowledge of electronic databases and capacity to identify and obtain relevant research evidence from electronic databases ranged from 3.62-3.68 on the scale of 5. The MNRs of participants' level of understanding of a policy brief, a policy dialogue and the role of researchers in policy-making ranged from 3.50-3.86. The MNRs of participants' level of understanding of evidence in policy-making context, types and sources of evidence, capacity to identify, select, adapt, and transform relevant evidence into policy ranged from 3.63-4.08. The MNRs of the participants' organization's capacity to cover their geographical areas of operation were generally low ranging from 3.32-3.38 in terms of manpower, logistics, facilities, and external support. The lowest MNR of 2.66 was recorded in funding. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study suggest that a stakeholders' engagement event can serve as an important platform to assess policy-makers' knowledge and capacity for evidence-informed policy-making and for the promotion of evidence use in the policy process. Citation: Uneke CJ, Sombie I, Keita N, et al. An assessment of national maternal and child health policy-makers' knowledge and capacity for evidence-informed policy-making in Nigeria. Implications for policy makers • An assessment of policy-makers' capacity constraints regarding evidence-informed policy-making is an important first step towards the implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve the evidence-to-policy link. • Any planned intervention should place emphasis on strategies that will improve organizational capacity for adapting research evidence in policy-making. • Training of policy-makers and initiating strategies to enhance organizational capacity for the application of research evidence are a vital aspect of the interventions to improve evidence to policy process in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) in low-income settings. Implications for the public There is no proper uptake of research evidence into policy-making by decision-makers in low-and middle-income countries, and this may be due to individual and organizational capacity constraints regarding evidence to policy link. The identification of the specific capacity challenges of policy-makers and their organization is the first step for developing effective health policy.