Title: Knowledge Brokers and Evidence Informed Decision Making: Reflections on a creative KT role
1Knowledge Brokers and Evidence Informed Decision
MakingReflections on a creative KT role
Paula Robeson RN, MScN Maureen Dobbins, RN,
PhD Kara DeCorby, MSc Donna Ciliska RN, PhD
2Research objectives
- To evaluate the impact of a knowledge broker as
part of a larger knowledge transfer (KT) strategy
-
- To promote evidence-informed public health
decision making
3Study design
- RCT with parallel qualitative data collection and
analysis - Canadian health regions (n108)
- Knowledge broker services as intervention
4Scope of brokering activities
- Providing support
- Mentoring
- Facilitating
- Knowledge skill development
- KT activities within organizations
- Resource development
- Disseminating
5KB intervention group
- 30 Canadian public health decision makers
- Representation from across Canada
- Stratified using Statistics Canada Peer Groups
6KB intervention
- Initial and ongoing needs assessment
- Minimum monthly contact (tailored)
- Telephone
- Email
- Initiated by client /or KB
- Regional workshop offered
- Tailored site visit offered
7Data sources
- Knowledge brokers journal
- Health region documents
8Data collection and analysis
- Document collection
- Journal entries
- Analysis using Nvivo 2.0
9Data analysis
- 2 researchers coded together
- Basic coding guide to organize data
- Reached agreement on coding
- Written summaries coded on as memos
10Insights Perceived usefulness of KB role
- ? perception of utility
- ? value of knowledge skill development
- Clarified individual roles in evidence-informed
decision making (EIDM) - ? value placed on assistance to overcome existing
barriers EIDM
11Insights Successes
- Early personal contact
- Initial ongoing needs assessments
- Knowledge skill development needs,
opportunities, barriers - Common issues needs
- Tailored intervention
- Assessment results
- Type of organization
- Level of decision making
12Insights Successes
- Personalized service
- KB efforts associated with ve progress
- ? Knowledge skill development
- ? Advocacy efforts re organizational change
- Development of supportive networks
- ? Access to useful practical quality resources
- ? Use of systematic reviews
13Insights Challenges
- Highly varied participant characteristics
- Changes in systems, organizations, roles
- Management
- Time
- Workload
- Competing priorities
- Resources
14Insights Challenges
- Tendency towards a recipe card approach
- Lack of evidence re broader scope of health
issues - Integrated prevention/health promotion
- Perception that unique regional issues restrict
the ability to draw from knowledge in other
contexts - Lack of communication with other decision makers
or regions
15Insights The KB Role
- Knowledge and skill development
- EIDM
- Acquire
- Appraise
- Adapt
- Apply
- Knowledge transfer within organizations
- Assistance in promoting a supportive
organizational culture
16Insights The KB Role
- Network development, maintenance, facilitation
- Relationship development maintenance
- Clients
- Researchers
- Others
17Lingering questions Informing future research
- KB involvement
- Dose effect
- Frequency
- Duration
- Internal vs. External
- Time in the planning cycle
- Focus of KB activities
- Individual vs organization
- Decision-making level
- Participant engagement strategies
18Lingering questions Informing future research
- Staging timing of KB involvement
- Establish EIDM values
- Capitalize on interest in EIDM
- Balance doing for vs. facilitating to do for
themselves - KB knowledge, skills, other characteristics
- Maintaining continuity in times of restructuring
change
19Conclusion
- KBs represent an emerging approach to the
promotion of evidence-informed public health
practice - Numerous benefits and challenges are met in
working with a widely-dispersed, national study
sample - Needs assessments allowed KBs to customize
approaches to decision makers activities within
their respective health regions
20Implications for policy and practice
- Need for knowledge brokering activity to support
health regions in EIDM - Need for focus on multiple levels of
organizations
21Acknowledgements
- The research project gratefully acknowledges the
support of -
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- The City of Hamilton Public Health Research,
Education and Development (PHRED) Program