Integrating knowledge in health systems: evidence from academia and hospitals in Brazil

This research characterizes Brazilian hospital organizations involved in collaborations with research groups from universities and research institutes. It analyzes organizational, institutional, and geographic proximities that characterize hospital partnerships in the generation and dissemination of health knowledge, based on data from the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil (DGP/CNPq, 2016). A Truncated Negative Binomial Model was estimated using data from 130 hospitals, 264 collaborations, and 216 research groups. The results indicate that hospital size and involvement in educational and research activities promote their interactions with academic research groups. Moreover, the study highlights the strong presence of public organizations in collaborations. The relationship between geographical and institutional distance in hospital-research group collaborations shows that institutional proximity helps to overcome the geographical distance between universities and hospitals. The study provides insights for the development of public policies to encourage collaboration between hospitals, universities, and research institutes.