Institution: | 1. Italy;2. France;3. Pharmaceutical Institute, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany;4. Department of Sociology, Oxford University, 42-43 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1JD, UK;5. Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK;6. Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos;7. Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Churchill Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK;8. Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;10. Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium |
Abstract: | In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the problem of poor-quality medical products requires a more interdisciplinary approach than has been evident to date. While prospective studies based on rigorous standardized methodologies are the gold standard for measuring the prevalence of poor-quality medical products and understanding their distribution nationally and internationally, they should be complemented by social science research to unpack the complex set of social, economic, and governance factors that underlie these patterns. In the following sections, we discuss specific examples of prospective quality surveys and of social science studies, highlighting the value of cross-sector partnerships in driving high-quality, policy-relevant research in this area. |