"'Academic' is a dirty word": intended impact pathways of an emerging academic health centre in tropical regional Australia

Edelman, Alexandra, Taylor, Judy, Ovseiko, Pavel V., and Topp, Stephanie M. (2019) "'Academic' is a dirty word": intended impact pathways of an emerging academic health centre in tropical regional Australia. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 34 (1). e661-e678.

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Abstract

Background: The Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre (TAAHC) is being established in northern Queensland across a vast rural geography. The study aim is to identify intended impact pathways and beneficiaries of TAAHC as well as experienced and anticipated challenges.

Methodology: The study is an empirical case study nested within a comparative multi‐case study on academic health centres (AHCs). Data were collected from documents, observation, and interviews with 24 health system and university stakeholders. Intended impact pathways were identified abductively from analysis of aspirations and challenges.

Results: Aspirations of TAAHC reflect an ultimate aim to improve the health of the northern Queensland population. Challenges were trust and communication, understanding value and return on investment, health system receptiveness to building a research culture, prioritising and influencing the research agenda, and structure of the health system.

Discussion: The study identifies three interdependent transitions that comprise the main intended impact pathway in TAAHC. Stakeholders expected TAAHC to effect health systems change and improvement rather than drive discovery‐oriented academic research associated with AHCs elsewhere.

Conclusion: The findings contribute to the empirical evidence base on the role of AHCs internationally and to ongoing initiatives to establish and resource AHCs in Australia.

Item ID: 55960
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1099-1751
Keywords: academic health centre, Australia, health systems, regional, research translation
Copyright Information: © 2018 The Authors The International Journal of Health Planning and Management Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Funders: National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre (NIHRBRC), James Cook University (JCU)
Projects and Grants: JCU Post-graduate Scholarship
Date Deposited: 26 Oct 2018 01:44
FoR Codes: 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4203 Health services and systems > 420399 Health services and systems not elsewhere classified @ 50%
44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4407 Policy and administration > 440706 Health policy @ 50%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920207 Health Policy Evaluation @ 50%
92 HEALTH > 9202 Health and Support Services > 920299 Health and Support Services not elsewhere classified @ 50%
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