Background: Effective knowledge translation (KT) strategies are vital for closing the knowledge-to-action gap, and subsequently improving health outcomes. In contrast to traditional KT strategies, which tend to focus solely on disseminating review findings, the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group (CCCG) integrates KT throughout the review cycle. By using an integrated KT approach, we aim to make our reviews more solution-focused, with findings that are more relevant and accessible to our key knowledge users (e.g. consumers, health professionals or policy makers) and the wider public.

Examples of our integrated KT strategies: Our approach involves collaborating with knowledge users across both the ‘knowledge creation’ and ‘action’ phases of our reviews. In the ‘knowledge creation’ phase, we include key users (e.g. consumers, clinicians and policy-makers) in setting priorities for future review topics. This has involved undertaking an international survey and a face-to-face priority setting workshop. In the ‘action’ phase, we produce evidence summaries (Evidence Bulletins), designed in partnership with knowledge users (e.g. policy makers or consumer representatives) to disseminate to our target audience. The Bulletins contain a ‘relevance’ section to help users to adapt and translate the research to their own context. We also develop resources to help consumers appraise and use the evidence from our reviews, including both face-to-face training and online video resources. Additionally, we convene brainstorming sessions with key knowledge user groups to gain feedback to ensure our work is closely related to their needs. We are currently building on this work, by developing resources and piloting methods to support knowledge users (particularly consumers) to co-author reviews.

Conclusion: CCCG has developed novel ways of implementing KT strategies throughout the review cycle. This helps to ensure our reviews match the needs of our key users better, so reducing the knowledge-to-action gap.