Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: One approach to support evidence-informed decision making (EIDM) in public health is knowledge brokering. This 16-month program provided mentorship to teams of public health professionals from five public health departments in Ontario.
Objective: To develop knowledge, skill and capacity for evidence-informed public health practice through a knowledge broker mentoring program.
Methods: An initial 2.5 hour organizational needs assessment, to assess organizational capacity and readiness for EIDM, followed by the selection of knowledge broker candidates. Followed by a 16-month program, consisting of face-to-face workshops, monthly webinars, and monthly telephone and email support. Changes in EIDM knowledge and skills pre-post were assessed using a paired t-test (nonparametric test, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test).
Results: Organizational priorities to support EIDM were identified for each organization and organizational strategies developed and implemented. Thirty public health professionals attended 10 face-to-face workshop days over a 12-month period, as well as 12 monthly webinars and monthly telephone/email contact. Based on paired data from 19 participants, a statistically significant increase in knowledge and skill was observed following the program (P < 0.017); specifically, statistically significant improvements were observed regarding interpretation of quantitative findings from single studies and meta-analyses.
Conclusions: A 16-month mentoring program delivered by knowledge brokers shows promise as an effective strategy in supporting the development of knowledge and skills in EIDM among public health professionals. Ongoing evaluation of this strategy using rigorous research designs is recommended following this pilot program.
Objective: To develop knowledge, skill and capacity for evidence-informed public health practice through a knowledge broker mentoring program.
Methods: An initial 2.5 hour organizational needs assessment, to assess organizational capacity and readiness for EIDM, followed by the selection of knowledge broker candidates. Followed by a 16-month program, consisting of face-to-face workshops, monthly webinars, and monthly telephone and email support. Changes in EIDM knowledge and skills pre-post were assessed using a paired t-test (nonparametric test, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test).
Results: Organizational priorities to support EIDM were identified for each organization and organizational strategies developed and implemented. Thirty public health professionals attended 10 face-to-face workshop days over a 12-month period, as well as 12 monthly webinars and monthly telephone/email contact. Based on paired data from 19 participants, a statistically significant increase in knowledge and skill was observed following the program (P < 0.017); specifically, statistically significant improvements were observed regarding interpretation of quantitative findings from single studies and meta-analyses.
Conclusions: A 16-month mentoring program delivered by knowledge brokers shows promise as an effective strategy in supporting the development of knowledge and skills in EIDM among public health professionals. Ongoing evaluation of this strategy using rigorous research designs is recommended following this pilot program.