What are the key challenges of health informatics research in low-resource settings?

Key challenges include: limited research funding; poor data quality and availability; limited institutional research capacity; ethical review challenges; difficulty publishing in high-impact journals; and the tension between research and operational priorities. These challenges can be partially overcome through international partnerships, capacity-building programmes, and advocacy for increased research funding for low-income countries.

One of the most important strategies is to embed research into operational programmes. Rather than conducting standalone research studies, health informatics professionals can design their operational work to generate research evidence — for example, by conducting rigorous evaluations of health information system implementations. This approach generates evidence while also improving practice.