A Research Protocol for Analysing the Policy Implications of Medical Research in Malawi: An African Perspective from 2000 to 2026

Medical research in Africa frequently does not lead to changes in health policy. In Malawi, which faces a high disease burden, understanding how research evidence informs policy is critical for improving health outcomes. This protocol describes a study to systematically analyse this research-to-policy gap. The purpose is to analyse the policy implications of medical research conducted in Malawi. The primary objective is to map and critically assess the documented policy impacts of this research. Secondary objectives are to identify barriers to and facilitators of research uptake, and to evaluate the alignment between research outputs and national health priorities. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design will be used. The first phase involves a systematic scoping review of published and grey literature to map relevant medical research and its stated policy implications. The second phase comprises in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, and funding body representatives, to explore the processes and challenges of translating research into policy. As a protocol, empirical findings are not available. The scoping review is anticipated to show that while many studies recommend policy change, few provide evidence of subsequent implementation or evaluation of those recommendations. The study will synthesise a comprehensive analysis of research-policy translation in Malawian medicine. It will highlight systemic strengths and weaknesses within the national research ecosystem. Recommendations will target researchers, institutions, and policymakers. They will focus on designing research for greater policy relevance, strengthening knowledge translation platforms, and fostering structured engagement between research and policy communities throughout the research cycle. Research protocol, knowledge translation, health policy, Malawi, medical research, Africa. This protocol outlines a structured analysis of the research-policy interface in Malawi. It will contribute an African perspective to the literature on knowledge translation, offering evidence to inform strategies for making medical research more impactful on national health policy.