Towards monitoring of global health research: an exploratory analysis of transparency and stakeholder engagement.

OBJECTIVES

Monitoring systems exist for clinical research transparency in high-income countries, but systematic assessment of these practices in global health (GH) research (GHR) is limited. We evaluated methods for monitoring GHR transparency and engagement.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

DATA SOURCES: Three sources were used: (a) ClinicalTrials.gov, (b) publications from 20 journals with 'international' or 'global' in the title and (c) outputs from selected GH funder websites.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: From ClinicalTrials.gov, we selected 200 interventional trials on maternal health and tuberculosis (2008-2019), ensuring two-thirds were from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). From journals, we included 200 trial publications (2011-2023). From funder websites, we included outputs with sufficient metadata to track trial registration and reporting.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Trials were extracted independently by two reviewers for result publications; journal articles were screened to confirm whether they reported trial results. Across all sources, we assessed registration timing, result reporting, open access and stakeholder engagement.

RESULTS

For 200 trials, 37% were prospectively registered, 65% published results in journals and 15% reported summary results in ClinicalTrials.gov. Only 34% reported results in any format within 24 months of completion. Of 200 publications, 72% were freely accessible, and 23% of the 100-article subsample included stakeholder engagement statements. The funder website sample yielded insufficient metadata for analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Monitoring GHR is feasible using registries and journals, though funder websites provide limited tracking. While open-access rates are encouraging, timely reporting and engagement documentation remain weak. These results highlight opportunities for developing GHR-specific monitoring approaches through collaborative efforts among global stakeholders.