The Structured Operational Research and Training IniTiative (SORT IT) courses, delivered by The Union and partner Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), have received an A+ rating in a 2015 evaluation by the funder, the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID).
The goal of this operational research (OR) capacity building programme is to enable researchers to carry out studies from the planning and research phases all the way through to both publication of their work in peer-reviewed journals and implementation of evidence from research leading to changes in public health policy and practice.
The Union met or exceeded targets in all categories in which they were assessed. In 2015, there were 85 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals and an additional 19 policy-relevant briefs, opinion and view-point articles published in peer-reviewed journals or as formal documents. Some SORT IT participants completed more than one paper and 20 per cent of participants who successfully completed the courses went on to become mentors or course facilitators on future training courses.
The courses in India have had the most success so far, due to a longer standing collaboration with the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), and have already had an impact on the health systems there. For example, operational research conducted and published through the programme has led to changes in the programmatic management of tuberculosis patients. The SORT IT model has also been showcased in the WHO’s END TB Strategy as a great method for OR capacity building.
In addition, there is growing interest in India for creating a SORT IT course or adapted version to be taught in each state by RNTCP staff, under guidance from The Union and MSF. This would greatly expand the training programme’s reach and the impact of operational research on health systems and policies in India. The Union and partners hope to see similar outcomes in the other countries receiving training as the SORT IT model progresses and expands.
Five DFID-supported OR training courses lasting nine to twelve months are scheduled each year over the next four years, and Union and MSF faculty will also assist on SORT IT courses organised by WHO’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR). Short courses on specific topics, such as the use of EpiData and how to use PUBMED for literature searches, have also begun in India and will be rolled out in Myanmar this year and in Zimbabwe starting in 2017.
DFID awarded WHO-TDR an additional grant this year, which The Union is managing, running two new OR courses rebuilding health systems in Ebola-affected Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Union and MSF are helping to coordinate and facilitate these courses.
The SORT IT model was developed by The Union and MSF in 2009 and was accredited and has been led by WHO-TDR since 2012. DFID finances The Union to run five SORT IT courses per annum through 2020.
The SORT IT operational research course is also available on video through The Union website.