Assessment of local networking strategies to enhance clinical research capacity in Zambia

Thesis

Well conducted clinical research leading to the generation of evidence based guidelines, in low- and middle-income countries has been viewed as the means of making significant improvements to global health. This is because these are the regions that bear the highest burden of disease and premature death. Several efforts over the past two decades have therefore focused on research capacity strengthening initiatives as a way of increasing the amount of clinical research conducted in these regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate if setting up a local online network and holding a skills sharing workshop would raise the knowledge and confidence of researchers in Zambia and enhance their capacity to conduct independent clinical research. This was a before and after study that involved open discussions about clinical research in Zambia through a local online platform (the Zambian Clinical Research Forum), on the Global Health Network. A total of 19 members took part in the study, 12 of whom were emerging researchers and 7 established researchers. In addition to the discussions, a one-day research skills sharing workshop was conducted after the period of the discussions that brought together those who were interested in the conduct of clinical research in Zambia. Structured questionnaires were used as the assessment tool and administered before and after the online discussions and at the workshop. The Zambian Clinical Research Forum stimulated discussions between emerging and established researchers on the conduct of clinical research in Zambia and resulted in an increase in the research self-confidence of the emerging researchers as opposed to that of the established researchers. The conduct of the one-day skills sharing workshop also enabled the sharing of information, skills and experiences based on the conduct of clinical research in Zambia. Participation in the online discussions however did not illicit a demonstrable change in the reported behaviour of the members in conducting clinical research related tasks. Furthermore, the discussions and interactions on the online platform were not continued beyond the study period. These findings indicate that the development of future network-based capacity building initiatives in Zambia should be underpinned by clear and achievable objectives that could drive the participation of those involved. There could also be a need to incorporate capacity building initiatives such as online platforms within the regular conduct of clinical research rather than as isolated ventures. This could be considered in Zambia by embedding such an online platform in institutions that can support this initiative and stimulate participation amongst their members.

Authors: Kalumba, M

• Publication date: 2014
• Type of award: MSc by Research
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: Oxford University, UK
• Language: English
• Keywords: Networking; Online Platforms; Clinical Research; Capacity Building; Zambia
• Subjects: Global; Networking; Public Health; Africa; Clinical Research; Capacity Building