A Review of Impact Assessment Indicators of Medical Research

Abstract

The aim of investment in health research is improvement of the state of policy-making, allocation of resources, practical application of research results, and improvement of public health. This has created an increased need for the assessment of the impact of such investments. Various studies have used different indicators to assess the impact of medical research. In order to identify indicators of medical research impact assessment, this narrative review was conducted using 42 articles indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases. A total of 82 indicators were identified, which were classified into 5 categories of knowledge production, capacity building, awareness of policies and product development, health effects, and economic effects. The majority of the identified indicators were related to knowledge production. Identifying impact assessment indicators helps investors in health research, organizations, and researchers to evaluate the impacts of their research from various aspects.

Keywords

• Biomedical Research
• Indicators and Reagents
• Iran