free full access: WHO/PLoS Collection “No Health Without Research”

"It seems astonishing that in the 21st century decisions on health care can still be made without a solid grounding in research evidence. This is true even in clinical research, whether for simple or complex interventions [1], where systematic reviews time and time again conclude that the evidence base is inadequate [2]. It is even more true in the areas of health policy and health systems, where quality research is hampered further by a lack of shared definitions, a lack of consensus on guiding principles, poor capacity (especially in low-resource regions), and methodological challenges [3],[4].
The World Health Report (WHR) for 2012 will be on the theme of “No Health without Research”. This flagship report from WHO will, for the first time in its history, focus on research for better health. The primary target audience of the report will be ministers of health in the WHO member states, and the goal of the report is to provide new ideas, innovative thinking, and pragmatic advice for member states on how to strengthen their own health research systems. The report will have the three following aims.

1. To show that research is important for meeting health needs and improving health outcomes;
2. To encourage countries to therefore invest more resources in developing and strengthening their national health research systems;
3. To argue that countries should not see research as an expense or as an afterthought, but as an investment for a better, healthier future.....cont'd