Information transfer: what do decision makers want and need from researchers?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to undertake a systematic assessment of the need for research-based information by decision-makers working in community-based organizations. It is part of a more comprehensive knowledge transfer and exchange strategy that seeks to understand both the content required and the format/methods by which such information should be presented.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional telephone survey. Questions covered current practices, research use, and demographic information, as well as preferences for receiving research information. Three types of organizations participated: Children's Treatment Centres of Ontario (CTCs); Ontario Community Care Access Centres (CCACs); and District Health Councils (DHCs). The analysis used descriptive statistics and analyses of variance (ANOVA) to describe and explore variations across organizations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The participation rate was 70%. The highest perception of barriers to the use of research information was reported by the CCAC respondents, followed by CTCs and DHCs. The CTCs and DHCs reported greater use of research evidence in planning decisions as compared to the CCACs. Four sources of information transfer were consistently identified. These were websites, health-related research journals, electronic mail, and conferences and workshops. Preferred formats for receiving information were executive summaries, abstracts, and original articles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There were a number of similarities across organization type with respect to perceived barriers to research transfer, as well as the types of activities the organizations engaged in to promote research use in decision-making. These findings support the importance of developing interactive, collaborative knowledge transfer strategies, as well as the need to foster relationships with health care decision-makers, practitioners and policymakers.</p

Helpful Organizational Features of a Community-Linked Research Unit: A Qualitative Study

There is a growing number of research units and alliances whose purpose is to link researchers and community partner groups. Little has been published about the benefits of these research organizations, the characteristics that assist them to function, and how they evolve over time. This article describes the findings of a survey of 13 investigators and research coordinators from CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, a multidisciplinary research unit founded in 1989. The article describes this group’s perceptions of CanChild as an organization, including major helpful factors, lessons learned, and changes over time to the Centre’s approach to research. The purpose of this paper is to provide information to researchers, managers, and funders about the benefits of community-linked research units. The study themes, revealed through qualitative methods, indicate the importance of three overarching aspects that summarize helpful organizational factors of a community-linked research unit: awareness of environmental context, strong commitment of team members, and an emphasis on internal and external communication activities. The findings demonstrate the collaborative advantages of community-linked research partnerships with respect to the cross-pollination of ideas and approaches, sophistication in conceptualization of research studies, smoother coordination of activities, and the development of innovative concepts and product