KEYSTONE HPSR Initiative // Module 6: Policy Analysis // Slideshow 4: Groupwork This is the fourth slideshow of Module 6: Policy Analysis, of the KEYSTONE Teaching and Learning Resources for Health Policy and Systems Research To access video sessions and slides for all modules copy and past the following link in your browser: http://bit.ly/25vVVp1 Module 6: Policy analysis This module focuses on the policy analysis approach to understand who makes policy decisions (power) and how and why these decisions are made (process). As a field primarily preoccupied with understanding decision-making, contemporary policy analysis approaches place actors at the heart of systems, problematize policy content, are attentive to context, and can see implementation as a series of social relationships rather than as an obvious consequence of policymaking. There are 5 slideshows in this module. Module 6: Policy analysis -Module 6 Slideshow 1: Introducing Health Policy -Module 6 Slideshow 2: Policy Approach & Frameworks -Module 6 Slideshow 3: Researching Health Policy -Module 6 Slideshow 4: Group work -Module 6 Slideshow 5: Group work The other modules in this series are: Module 1: Introducing Health Systems & Health Policy Module 2: Social justice, equity & gender Module 3: System complexity Module 4: Health Policy and Systems Research frameworks Module 5: Economic analysis Module 7: Realist evaluation Module 8: Systems thinking Module 9: Ethnography Module 10: Implementation research Module 11: Participatory action research Module 12: Knowledge translation Module 13: Research Plan Writing KEYSTONE is a collective initiative of several Indian health policy and systems research (HPSR) organizations to strengthen national capacity in HPSR towards addressing critical needs of health systems and policy development. KEYSTONE is convened by the Public Health Foundation of India in its role as Nodal Institute of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR). The inaugural KEYSTONE short course was conducted in New Delhi from 23 February – 5 March 2015. In the process of delivering the inaugural course, a suite of teaching and learning materials were developed under Creative Commons license, and are being made available as open access resources. The KEYSTONE teaching and learning resources include 38 videos and 32 slide presentations organized into 13 modules. These materials cover foundational concepts, common approaches used in HPSR, and guidance for preparing a research plan. These resources were created and are made available through support and funding from the Alliance for Health Policy & Systems Research (AHPSR), WHO for the KEYSTONE initiative

1. https://twitter.com/KeystoneHPSR
Building the HPSR CommunityBuilding HPSR Capacity
KEYSTONE
Inaugural KEYSTONE Course on Health Policy and Systems Research 2015
Groupwork (POL)

2. KEYSTONE
Groupwork
(POL)
Kabir Sheikh
26 Feb 2015

3. KEYSTONE
Health System Problems
1. The non-implementation of standard public health guidelines and
protocols is a widely witnessed phenomenon and problem in India
and other low and middle income countries, in both public and
private health care services. This is widely seen to be of concern
since users of services may be denied standardized and evidence-
based modes of care and treatment.
2. Health workers who are deployed in health care facilities are
frequently irregular in reporting for their duties, and are
sometimes entirely absent from their posts.
3. Routine health-related data collected through existing health
information systems is often viewed to be unreliable, either
overestimating or underestimating the actual quantum of the
event or disease being measured. This causes problems in priority
setting, responding and allocating resources.

4. KEYSTONE
4. Professional self regulation is a globally accepted approach in which
health care professions are expected to establish and maintain standards
of conduct and ethics, within the confines of the profession, by setting
up relevant boards or councils. However it is widely observed that
professional self regulatory bodies (such as medical, nursing and
pharmacy councils) do not play an optimal role in regulating the
standards as laid out in their constitutions.
5. In spite of widespread evidence and numerous policy pronouncements
and expert statements on the primacy of primary health care in order to
achieve health goals, current financial allocations tend to favour tertiary
institutions in urban areas.
6. Globally, there is a widespread deficiency in resource allocation and
innovation for development of new medicinces, vaccines and medical
products for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries
and the poor.

5. KEYSTONE
Instructions for groupwork
• Each of you are assigned a health system problem
• Choose one aspect of the policy process – agenda setting and policymaking
OR implementation
• Write a research question that relates to the policy process you have chosen
(15 min)
• Apply the Walt and Gilson conceptual framework broadly
• Conduct a study on that question (45 min) (tip: divide labour!)
– Document review
– Interviews
• Synthesize your findings and write up as ppt slides (30 min)
– Topic (1 slide)
– Main research question (1 slide)
– Framework (1 slide)
– Methods (1 slide)
– Findings (max 5 slides)
– Conclusions (1 slide)
• Present your slides (10 min per group)

6. KEYSTONE
Instructions for critical reflection and marking
• Critical reflection and marking by another group (5 min per
group) (40% of mark)
– Framing of question (2)
– Framing and application of methods (2)
– Depth and credibility of findings (5)
– Depth and credibility of conclusion (1)
– Bonus: Theoretical reflections on your findings (1)
• Grading by faculty
– Of presentation (40% of mark)
– Of critical reflection (20% of mark)

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