JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Operational research (OR) in eye care within resource-constrained settings helps develop context-specific solutions to local challenges. Building OR capacity among eye care personnel enables them to independently generate evidence that drives improvements in eye health outcomes.

Objective:

This protocol describes the extended phase of the Institutional Operational Research Capacity Building (I-ORCB) program, designed to train eye-care professionals in the fundamentals and applications of OR.

Methods:

The I-ORCB program will be conducted in collaboration with Seva Canada and PRASHO Foundation over three years (2024–2027). Ten partner eye hospitals in India and Nepal will participate. The training is organized around seven work packages covering research methods, data management and analysis, qualitative methods, community engagement, scientific writing, grant writing, and ethics. The program will be implemented in two sequential phases: (1) protocol development and ethics committee submission, and (2) mentoring, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation. Delivery will include workshops, ongoing mentorship, e-resources, and structured monitoring mechanisms. Evaluation will follow the Kirkpatrick model, and cost-effectiveness will be assessed from a societal perspective

Results:

This program is currently in the implementation phase. The data collection for program evaluation began in June 2025 and is expected to continue till late 2026. Expected results include enhanced OR competencies among hospital teams, institutional strengthening for research, development of peer-reviewed manuscripts, and improved capacity to apply OR to service delivery challenges.

Conclusions:

The I-ORCB program applies a practical, learning-by-doing approach and is grounded in the Cooke framework for research capacity building. By integrating structured mentorship, institutional ownership, and flexible virtual learning components, the program is expected to strengthen OR culture in LMICs and improve eye health outcomes in South Asia.