Article type
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Abstract
Background: Systematic reviews are an important source of research evidence for public health decision makers, as they synthesize all relevant primary research to answer a specific question. Customizing the delivery of this evidence to intended stakeholders is associated with improved uptake and subsequent incorporation of research evidence into decision-making and practice. Knowledge brokering, one of many knowledge transfer (KT) strategies, addresses users' needs and contextual factors affecting utilization, and has been hypothesized to be more effective than traditional passive means.
Objectives: Study objectives were to explore the relative effectiveness, role and process of knowledge brokering in uptake of public health reviews, specifically those related to physical activity and healthy body weight, in Canadian health regions. This presentation will review relevant literature, rationale for, and the benefits and challenges of knowledge brokering in a randomized controlled trial. Preliminary qualitative study data reported will focus on knowledge brokers' reflective journal entries.
Methods: 108 Canadian health regions were randomized to three intervention groups having progressively more active KT strategies; respectively,
1. an online registry of systematic reviews at health-evidence.ca
2. access to health-evidence.ca and targeted messages, and
3. health-evidence.ca, targeted messages, and access to a knowledge broker.
Baseline data collection used a knowledge utilization survey developed for the study by the PI. English and French-speaking knowledge brokers each maintained journals documenting and reflecting on their role and processes. Journal entries were analyzed using Nvivo 2.0.
Results: Preliminary results provide insight into the role and how it was operationalized in a national study. Data unique to this type of intervention address tasks associated with knowledge brokering for public health decision makers, addressing decision makers' needs to facilitate KT activities, and reflections on the role, process, and environment.
Conclusions: Numerous benefits and challenges are met in working with a widely-dispersed, national study sample. Needs assessments allowed brokers to customize their approaches to decision makers' activities in their respective health regions. Novelty of the role to public health provided a unique opportunity to assess the need for and reaction to the role and its associated activities.
Objectives: Study objectives were to explore the relative effectiveness, role and process of knowledge brokering in uptake of public health reviews, specifically those related to physical activity and healthy body weight, in Canadian health regions. This presentation will review relevant literature, rationale for, and the benefits and challenges of knowledge brokering in a randomized controlled trial. Preliminary qualitative study data reported will focus on knowledge brokers' reflective journal entries.
Methods: 108 Canadian health regions were randomized to three intervention groups having progressively more active KT strategies; respectively,
1. an online registry of systematic reviews at health-evidence.ca
2. access to health-evidence.ca and targeted messages, and
3. health-evidence.ca, targeted messages, and access to a knowledge broker.
Baseline data collection used a knowledge utilization survey developed for the study by the PI. English and French-speaking knowledge brokers each maintained journals documenting and reflecting on their role and processes. Journal entries were analyzed using Nvivo 2.0.
Results: Preliminary results provide insight into the role and how it was operationalized in a national study. Data unique to this type of intervention address tasks associated with knowledge brokering for public health decision makers, addressing decision makers' needs to facilitate KT activities, and reflections on the role, process, and environment.
Conclusions: Numerous benefits and challenges are met in working with a widely-dispersed, national study sample. Needs assessments allowed brokers to customize their approaches to decision makers' activities in their respective health regions. Novelty of the role to public health provided a unique opportunity to assess the need for and reaction to the role and its associated activities.
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