Empowering Researchers and Knowledge-Producing Organizations for Evidence-Informed Health Policy Making: Interventions in the Iranian Health System

Background: Providing appropriate information to policymakers by strengthening evidence-based capacity is a key factor in the development of evidence-based policy making (EIPM). This study aims to examine the necessary interventions in the Iranian health system for empowering researchers and knowledge-producing organizations to strengthen EIPM. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using interviews and document review. The views and experiences of enterviewees were extracted through semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used and continued until data saturation. Thematic framework analysis and MAXQDA 12 software were used for data analysis. Results: Necessary interventions for empowering researchers and knowledge-producing organizations were categorized into health system interventions, community-based interventions, organization interventions, and individual interventions. Conclusion: Incompatibility of health policy decisions with scientific evidence derived from research highlights the importance of creating a common language among health policymakers and researchers. In this regard, developing scientific and practical interventions, educating health researchers on knowledge translation, and using mechanisms and networks for effective interaction will be constructive.