Developing health research impact assessment in Italy: the case of the Piedmont Region

Background. Research Impact Assessment (RIA) is complex and still in the process of being defined. The most appropriate RIA framework should be selected and adapted according to the context and the specific purpose. The real challenge is experimenting with RIA and sharing the findings with the scientific community. Italy has a National Health System in which the Regions are granted with significant legislative authority in the healthcare sector. The Piedmont Region has a healthcare system based on 12 Local Health Authorities (LHA) and six autonomous public hospitals. The Piedmont Region has entrusted DAIRI (Department of Integrative Activities for Research and Innovation), an interinstitutional department of the Alessandria LHA and Alessandria Hospital, with the task of monitoring regional health research. Aims. This study aims to identify an RIA framework that can be applied to health research organisations in Alessandria Province and subsequently at the regional level. We aim to disseminate the results of these evaluations to contribute to the advancement of RIA within the scientific community and initiate a continuous RIA process. Methods. We approached the study in two phases. First, a literature review to identify a range of frameworks suitable for our context; second, a focus group to determine the most appropriate framework from this pool. Findings, discussion and conclusion. Since adopting an existing framework requires tailoring it to the specific needs of the research organisation, we decided to select the framework proposed by Banzi et al. (2011) and adapt it to the context in which DAIRI operates.