Over the past decade, there have been many international calls to strengthen and support/sustain research capacity in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This capacity is considered an essential foundation for cost-effective healthcare systems. While there have been long-standing investments by many countries and research funding organisations in the training of individuals for this purpose, in many LMICs research capacity remains fragmented, uneven and fragile. There is growing recognition that a more systems-oriented approach to research capacity-building is required. Nonetheless, there are considerable gaps in the evidence for approaches to capacity-building that are effective and sustainable. This book addresses these gaps, capturing what was learned from teams working on The Global Health Research Initiative. This book brings together the experiences of research capacity-building teams co-led by Canadians and LMIC researchers in several regions of the world, including Jamaica, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.

This Book describes the utilization of data collected at community level using community based health information system by various stakeholders and its effectiveness in decision making. A Community based health Information System (CBHIS) is a type of health information system that is based in the rural community and informal settlements of urban areas. Its objective is to produce relevant and quality information to support decision making. The CBHIS should hence strive to complement the functions of a health system which include: Improving decision-making, improving service delivery to the population and subsequently Impacting positively on the health outcomes of the target population at different levels of the health system.Health systems performance would be enhanced not only by bridging the interface between the community and the health system but also encouraging timely decision making and action based on available information.