5.2 Roles for key stakeholders and recent advances to sustain and advance learning

In this section, we will take a brief tour of the key areas where different stakeholder groups can take on leading roles to support learning across integrating and institutionalizing learning, human capacities, and creating enabling conditions for learning (remember back to Module 4 where we covered these in depth).

In the following short, animated video, you will get to explore the roles of each of a set of key stakeholders and look at a case example that illustrates recent advances and some best practices that may be able to be adapted and utilized in other contexts as well. As you review this video, consider what might be transferable or spark some new ideas that can be put into practice in your own work.

Understanding the roles for stakeholders to support learning health systems

Below, we have summarized some key roles for different stakeholders for easy reference.

Policy-makers and planners

Policy-makers and planners play a range of critical roles to support learning at a systems or cross-organizational level. Common roles that they can and often must take on to facilitate a growing and thriving learning environment include:

• Cross-organizational leadership
• Developing and planning a learning strategy
• Devising a framework to assess and benchmark progress
• Ensuring adequate investment for learning
• Establishing research agendas and priorities
• Ensuring human capacities are developed, deployed, and retained

As you saw in the example in the animated video, we have experiences from real contexts that have utilized many of these tools. You can read more about the Kerala, India case example on page 104 of the Learning Health Systems report.

Programmes, facilities and teams

Health programmes, facilities, and teams can also take action in a number of important ways to operationalize or jumpstart learning at an organizational or team level. The following bullets include some of the common ways that these stakeholders can act.

• Team-based learning
• On-the-job-mentoring
• Establishing learning sites
• Participatory learning initiatives
• Communities of practice and solution-sharing platforms

As you saw in the example from Mozambique (page 116), many of these can be seen in practice and have produced important results. An additional case example from Benin and Guinea, which we have looked at earlier in the course as well, can also be explored further in the Learning Health Systems report on page 79.

Communities and civil society

Communities and civil society also play key roles in supporting learning, though they are often not part of the formal health system. Some key roles are outlined in the following bullet points:

• Participatory planning and governance
  • Facility committees
  • Health councils
  • Health assemblies
• Amplification of citizen and service user voices
• Education on health rights, entitlements, and protections, governance, and laws

You can read more details about the Guatemala case study in the Learning Health Systems report on page 100.

Research and training councils, universities and training institutes

Research and training councils and organizations both also contribute in important and often interconnected ways. The following bullet points summarize some of the common ways, and there are likely other specific roles that either or both play in your context.

• Research
  • Platforms for policy and systems research
  • Evidence synthesis and use
  • Building research capacity
• Training
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Data management
  • Communications and knowledge management
  • Research methods and evidence use
  • Participatory and team-based learning

The Learning Health Systems report includes more examples that explore many of these complex and interconnected issues and opportunities for learning across levels in the set of case studies beginning on page 73.