A Research Protocol: Analysing the Policy Implications of Medical Research in Burkina Faso from 2000 to 2026

The translation of medical research into health policy remains inconsistent, particularly in low-resource settings. In Burkina Faso, understanding the pathways through which research informs policy is critical for addressing public health challenges. A systematic analysis of this research-to-policy interface is currently lacking. This protocol describes a study to analyse the policy implications of medical research in Burkina Faso. The primary objective is to map and evaluate the influence of locally relevant medical research on national health policy and clinical guidelines. Secondary objectives are to identify key facilitators and barriers to research uptake and to assess stakeholder perceptions of research utility. A mixed-methods design will be employed. A systematic document review of national health policies, clinical guidelines, and published research will be conducted to establish linkages. This will be complemented by key informant interviews and focus group discussions with policymakers, researchers, and healthcare practitioners. Qualitative data will undergo framework analysis, while descriptive statistics will summarise quantitative findings from the document review. As this is a protocol, no empirical findings are presented. The study anticipates detailing the extent and mechanisms of research uptake, including the proportion of policies citing local research and thematic analysis of stakeholder-reported barriers and facilitators. The study is expected to conclude by outlining the current state of research-to-policy translation in Burkina Faso, highlighting strengths and critical gaps within the evidence-to-decision ecosystem. Anticipated recommendations will aim to strengthen the research-policy interface, likely focusing on capacity building, fostering sustained stakeholder dialogue, and improving the documentation and dissemination of locally generated research. health policy, knowledge translation, research utilisation, Burkina Faso, implementation science, mixed methods. This protocol provides a structured approach to systematically investigate the often-opaque pathway from medical research to health policy in a low-resource African setting, with findings intended to inform strategies for more evidence-based decision-making.