In perspective, every research in medicine should relate to real problems and strengthen the healthcare system. Therefore, I agree that gaining necessary support from both internal and external stakeholders could be the key step in implementing valuable research results. The impact of the important stakeholders’ engagement could be seen in the areas of information, collaboration, and modernization.
First, working together with local stakeholders, researchers gain state-of-the-art data on existing issues. According to Ghaffar et al. (2017), a researcher, while finding gaps in healthcare services, could deliver reliable evidence to various research institutions and government agencies to show them which kind of improvements the system needs. Consequently, the practices of decision-making and priority-setting in healthcare policy would show more efficacy. The engagement of local policymakers helps to prioritize the issues as the questions relevant to local healthcare delivery should be in the first place.
As for modernization, the need for changes derived from the capstone proposal is easier recognized by the locals when they are interested in the results of demand-driven research. That interest positively influences the local authorities’ decision to assist in overcoming possible projects’ implementation obstacles (Ghaffar et al., 2017). Pereno and Eriksson (2020) recognize the challenges the modern healthcare system has to deal with: with the aging population, health systems use digital technologies to optimize financial cuts and meet the need to increase transparency. The active engagement of stakeholders could be an innovative healthcare solution for the effective transition to more sustainable healthcare with the practice of knowledge and technology exchanging.
The practice of stakeholders’ engagements increases all healthcare actors’ collaboration. The researcher could apply the knowledge of the crucial key drivers of main stakeholders that appeal to them to participate. For example, health providers are interested in innovations, while health industries focus on receiving feedback from their products users and patient associations (Pereno & Eriksson, 2020). Therefore, the stakeholders in collaboration could be different due to the particular capstone proposal subject.
Therefore, with the engagement of various stakeholders, the research work gains more value. The interaction of local health providers, healthcare networks, patients, etc., contributes to the advancement of the whole system. Effective work with stakeholders is a supportive factor in the future healthcare strategies definition, development of the system flexibility, and encouragement of expertise and ideas exchange.
References
Ghaffar, A., Langlois, E. V., Rasanathan, K., Peterson, S., Adedokun, L., & Tran, N. T. (2017). Strengthening health systems through embedded research. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 95(2), 87.
Pereno, A., & Eriksson, D. (2020). A multi-stakeholder perspective on sustainable healthcare: From 2030 onwards. Futures, 122, 102605.