Capacity development of researchers involved in guideline development in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa: A mixed-methods study

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Capacity development of researchers involved in guideline development in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa: A mixed-methods study
 
Creator Mazibuko, Retsedisitsoe P. Odendaal, Willem Cooper, Sara Kredo, Tamara McCaul, Michael Rohwer, Anke
 
Subject Public health capacity development; clinical practice guidelines; evidence synthesis skills; researchers; interpersonal skills; sub-Saharan Africa
Description Background: The Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project aimed to build capacity for rigorous clinical practice guideline (CPG) development and evidence-informed decision-making (EDIM) in Malawi, South Africa and Nigeria.Aim: This study aimed to explore and assess whether and how participating in GELA project activities developed the capacity of GELA researchers in evidence synthesis, guideline development, project management and interpersonal skills.Setting: GELA researchers were based at academic and research institutions in South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria and Norway.Methods: We conducted a nested mixed-method study of GELA researchers comprising an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, while qualitative data were analysed through framework analysis.Results: Survey respondents indicated that their confidence in technical skills, as well as project management and interpersonal skills, improved during GELA. Interview results highlighted the importance of both skill sets. Collaboration emerged as a key facilitator of capacity development, while the tension between meeting deliverables and dedicating enough time to capacity development was a key challenge.Conclusion: The GELA project enabled capacity development in technical, project management and interpersonal skills in novice as well as experienced researchers. The collaborative nature of the project facilitated this iterative process. Planning of capacity development for researchers within a project such as GELA is essential for the success of both capacity development and project deliverables.Contribution: Our evaluation sheds light on the challenges and facilitators of building capacity of researchers within the context of a multinational project on CPG development.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2026-03-31
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Mixed-method
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/phcfm.v18i1.5193
 
Source African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 18, No 1 (2026); 10 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928
 
Language eng
 
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https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9190 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9191 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9192 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9194 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9195 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9196 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5193/9193
 
Coverage Sub-Saharan Africa; South Africa; Malawi; Nigeria April 2022 to March 2025 Researchers
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Retsedisitsoe P. Mazibuko, Willem Odendaal, Sara Cooper, Tamara Kredo, Michael McCaul, Anke Rohwer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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