Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Faculty of Education and Department of Child and Youth Study, Mount Saint Vincent University, 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6, Canada.
Health Res Policy Syst. 2018 Aug 2;16(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s12961-018-0351-8.
Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) is encouraged in population health intervention research (PHIR) to ensure the co-production of policy-relevant research, yet there is little published literature that reports its implementation and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the IKT approach used in a school-based PHIR project to understand how the research informed policy and practice and identify what influenced the IKT process.
A case study approach was used to provide an in-depth description of the IKT process and understand the co-production and application of research evidence. Data were collected through document review, a survey with all elementary school principals in the school board (n = 18) following dissemination of School Reports and interviews with the IKT research team (including two researchers and three knowledge users).
Approximately half of the principals reported reading their School Report (52%) and almost all of these principals attributed the partial or full adoption, or implementation, of a new practice as a result of using the information (89%). Key themes related to the IKT process emerged across the interviews, including supportive relationships, role clarity, competing priorities and the complexities of population health interventions.
The findings suggest that, while IKT can support policy and practice, it can be challenging to maintain engagement due to differing priorities and role ambiguity. Additional recognition, investment and research would enable better implementation of the approach, thereby bridging the gap between research, policy and practice.
综合知识转化（IKT）在人群健康干预研究（PHIR）中得到鼓励，以确保产生与政策相关的研究成果，然而，很少有文献报道其实施和结果。本研究的目的是描述和评估在基于学校的 PHIR 项目中使用的 IKT 方法，以了解研究如何为政策和实践提供信息，并确定影响 IKT 过程的因素。
采用案例研究方法对 IKT 过程进行深入描述，以了解研究证据的共同产生和应用。通过文件审查、在向学校董事会所有小学的校长分发学校报告后对其进行的调查（n=18）以及对 IKT 研究团队（包括两名研究人员和三名知识使用者）进行的访谈收集数据。
大约一半的校长报告称阅读了他们的学校报告（52%），几乎所有的校长都归因于使用信息导致部分或全部采用或实施了新做法（89%）。访谈中出现了与 IKT 过程相关的关键主题，包括支持性关系、角色明确、优先事项竞争以及人群健康干预的复杂性。
研究结果表明，虽然 IKT 可以支持政策和实践，但由于优先事项和角色模糊，保持参与可能具有挑战性。额外的认可、投资和研究将使该方法的实施得到改善，从而缩小研究、政策和实践之间的差距。
