knowledge translation research anne sales faculty of nursing university of alberta...
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Acknowledgements
Funding from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
Support from CIHR as a Canada Research Chair
Five W’s of KT research
Who What When Where Why
Who: targets of KT
Most KT research has focused on transfer or uptake of knowledge to professionals/providers
Majority of KT research has focused on physician providers
Not entirely clear why
What: Evidence and/or knowledge Not entirely clear what constitutes evidence Most KT research has focused on results of
empirical research as evidence Strong emphasis on hierarchies of evidence Based on treatment models– causality as the
primary question for empirical research Not clear if these are the most appropriate
models for KT research Problem of external validity/generalizability
When: when is something ready for translation?
Test of time issue Repeated questions about external
validity Dynamic nature of knowledge and
evidence “Community standard” vs.
guideline
Where: Context
In the organizational frame, this is a key question for external validity Things that work in one place don’t
always work in another Currently a major focus of KT
research
Why: the need for theory Most existing KT research has little to no explicit theory
base Rests on unstated assumptions
Lack of awareness Lack of recognition Lack of time Lack of motivation Lack of coordination Lack of self-efficacy Lack of planning
Human psychology/social science theories cover most of these factors
Need to test and improve the theory base to create more efficient, knowledge-generating approaches to KT
Open questions When should we initiate KT activity?
What criteria make it worth the cost of attempting to induce behavior change?
What contextual factors influence knowledge uptake? Can we do anything to make contexts more
amenable to KT/U? Can we arrive at robust theories that help
us plan and implement KT/U activities?