Measuring the impact of research: how can we show return on investments in health research? (Part II)

Key Messages
• The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences recently proposed an evaluation framework designed to address specific impact evaluation questions about the value of health research and health research funding.
• Among the greatest challenges in assessing impact is the definition of “impact” itself, which can be different for every funding program. Defining the impact of health services research poses its own challenges — for example, it is often not feasible to define ideal policy- or decision-making impacts, since the research rarely yields unambiguous conclusions with obvious application.
• Case studies are emerging as a popular method for measuring the impact of health research, since they help to identify the factors that lead to research success.