Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: The arts are powerful, accessible forms of communication that have the potential to impart knowledge by attracting interest and developing meaningful connections. Knowledge translation aims to reduce the ‘evidence-practice’ gap by developing, implementing and evaluating strategies designed to enhance awareness and promote behaviour change congruent with research evidence. Increasingly, innovative tools such as narrative storytelling and other arts-based interventions are being investigated to bridge the research-practice gap. This study is the first to systematically identify and synthesize current research on narrative storytelling and visual art to translate and disseminate health research.
Methods: A health research librarian developed and implemented search strategies designed to identify relevant evidence. Studies were included if they were primary research employing narrative storytelling and/or visual art as a knowledge translation strategy in healthcare. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction using standard forms. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or third party adjudication. Data was grouped and analyzed by research design, type of knowledge translation strategy (i.e., narrative storytelling or visual arts-based approach), and target audience. Currently, an overall synthesis across all included studies is ongoing to determine the success of narrative storytelling and visual arts as translation and dissemination tools in health research.
Discussion: Narrative and arts-based approaches are innovative tools that have the potential to faciliate dissemination and stakeholder involvement, while simultaneously crossing boundaries of literacy and language. The findings from this research project will describe the ‘state of the science’ regarding the use of narrative storytelling and visual art as tools to translate and disseminate health research. We intend to share results of this review and reflect on the potential for these tools to bridge the research-practice gap.
Methods: A health research librarian developed and implemented search strategies designed to identify relevant evidence. Studies were included if they were primary research employing narrative storytelling and/or visual art as a knowledge translation strategy in healthcare. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction using standard forms. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or third party adjudication. Data was grouped and analyzed by research design, type of knowledge translation strategy (i.e., narrative storytelling or visual arts-based approach), and target audience. Currently, an overall synthesis across all included studies is ongoing to determine the success of narrative storytelling and visual arts as translation and dissemination tools in health research.
Discussion: Narrative and arts-based approaches are innovative tools that have the potential to faciliate dissemination and stakeholder involvement, while simultaneously crossing boundaries of literacy and language. The findings from this research project will describe the ‘state of the science’ regarding the use of narrative storytelling and visual art as tools to translate and disseminate health research. We intend to share results of this review and reflect on the potential for these tools to bridge the research-practice gap.