Do patients need to read research?

Editor—Smith succinctly reminds us of the importance of strengthening capacity among those who need to comprehend research to make informed decisions.¹

Although his article focuses on patients, I believe we should include all stakeholders in this process of understanding research, be they consumers of health care, clinicians, policymakers, funders, or researchers from other disciplines. Making sense of the massive quantities of information of varying quality is a daunting task even for the skilled researcher. This is further compounded by the confusion brought about when “experts” do not concur on a common interpretation of a given study.

I am a researcher for the Global Health Council, a not for profit organisation with a diverse membership comprised of health-care professionals and organisations that include non-governmental organisations, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions that work to ensure global health for all. A key element of our research programme is to promote a better understanding of evidence based approaches to health care and facilitate a dialogue between researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. We do this through web based and paper based resources (including summaries of systematic reviews), workshops, and word of mouth.

As we cannot do this alone, we urge other researchers proactively to initiate dialogue with decision makers, including consumers, about research. Knowledge is power—but it can also be exclusionary if not shared by all who need it.