The Provost, College of Health Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Philip Antwi-Agyei, says research is essential towards improving healthcare delivery in the country.
He said research helps health professionals to understand health challenges, evaluate interventions, identify gaps in service delivery and make informed decisions about patient care and resource mobilisation.
However, he stated that research achieves its greatest value when its findings are translated into practical improvements that benefit patients, communities and the general progress of the nation.
Research dissemination
Professor Antwi-Agyei made the remarks while addressing the second research dissemination day, 2026, in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region on the theme: “Bridging research and practice for excellence in primary health care”.
Held under the auspices of the HopeXchange Medical Centre, the event brought together healthcare professionals from collaborating institutions, creating greater opportunity for knowledge sharing, partnership and mentorship towards improving health outcomes.
He said too often, promising research findings did not translate into routine practice because research priorities did not adequately reflect the realities of healthcare delivery.
In other instances, he pointed out that evidence might be available but health professionals lacked the resources, institutional support or practical guidance needed to implement such evidence.
Embed real-time data
The Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, in a keynote address, said there was a need to embed real-time data connection and knowledge generation directly into clinical workflows.
He stated that implementation research involved moving beyond traditional clinical trials to studying how interventions performed in real-world community settings with limited resources.
While calling on practitioners to work together from the outset to ensure practical applicability of research, he said, “Let us use digital repositories, tools and utilise real-time evidence in healthcare delivery”.
Perform core mandate
The Research Coordinator, HopeXchange Medical Centre, Frederick Ayensu, called on management of health facilities to allow and support health research officers to perform their mandate as prescribed by the health ministry.
“They should be supported and trained to carry out their mandate as the facilities stand to gain from their expertise in conducting research instead of using them for responsibilities outside their core mandate”, he said.
More than academic exercise
The Medical Superintendent of the facility, Dr Akosua Amoateng, said research must be more than an academic exercise and should be a strategic instrument towards transforming healthcare delivery.
She said, “We aspire to strengthen a culture in which research informs clinical practice, guides healthcare policy, builds institutional capacity and contributes to equitable, accessible and high-quality healthcare for all”.
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