Achieving impact is a core tenet of health services research and health technology assessment, extending far beyond the narrow definitions of impact promoted by journal impact factors (IFs) or by research assessment frameworks. One way of demonstrating real world impact is through publication of evidence syntheses that inform guidelines, such as those produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE). Recently guidelines organisations and health technology assessment agencies have started to fully recognise the important contribution that qualitative research can make in understanding the values and preferences of patients, carers, providers, managers and health planners. When these types of qualitative studies are harnessed by current real world crises such as Covid19, Severe Acute Malnutrition and Zika Virus they start to realise their considerable potential.

This presentation will briefly rehearse some of the key qualitative systematic review (also known as qualitative evidence synthesis) projects in which Dr Andrew Booth has collaborated before drawing out some lessons on key messages and impact. The presentation will offer an intriguing glimpse of how qualitative research feeds into national and international guidelines as well as taking a forward glance to the future role of qualitative evidence synthesis.

Bio

Dr Andrew Booth is Reader at ScHARR at the University of Sheffield and has been involved in health services research for over 25 years having previously pursued a career in health information management. A co-convenor of the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group he has established himself as one of the most prolific contributors to the methodology of qualitative evidence synthesis. He delivers the international ScHARR short course on Evidence Synthesis of QualItative Research in Europe (ESQUIRE), co-facilitates courses on rapid reviews, mixed methods and systematic reviews and teaches two Masters module for the online and face-to-face versions of the University of Sheffield's Masters in Public Health (MPH). The author, with ScHARR colleagues, of the popular text Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review (soon to be in its 3rd edition), Andrew holds honorary contracts with the World Health Organisation and Public Health England. Andrew's academic interests extend through research metrics, research assessment and, most recently, real world impact!