Relevant to: Research, Policy, Practice
Sector: Health
Summary: The purpose of this paper is to better understand and reflect on the role of knowledge brokering in the Canadian Health system, drawing on a review of management health services literature and an evaluation program of a knowledge network within that system.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the role of knowledge brokering in the Canadian Health system. The authors review management health services literature and identify seven activities associated with knowledge brokers:

-Create relationships among groups of people with shared concerns and objectives
-Promote mutual understanding among these groups
-Facilitate the exchange of knowledge across the social boundaries that separate these groups
-Facilitate processes of social interaction as a mechanism for bringing about knowledge exchange
-Develop a new capacity within these groups to work together to find, create, share, and use relevant knowledge
-Help to address the issues of organisational change that often accompany attempts to exchange knowledge.
-Engage in analytical tasks that are associated with the above activities.

The paper draws on the results of a five year evaluation program by the Senior Health Research Transfer Network (SHRTN) in Ontario, Canada, and the experiences of two of the authors, who were knowledge brokers within that network. The article comments on the role, skills and potential impact of knowledge brokers in the network. The authors discuss lessons learned through the evaluation program and conclude that SHRTN has become a thriving knowledge network recognized for its contribution to the health and well being of Ontario’s seniors. This study demonstrates the importance and value of knowledge brokering for bringing knowledge and innovations into frontline health care organisations.

This article was developed from the following paper:
Conklin, J Lusk, E, Harris, M and Stolee, P. (2013) Knowledge brokers in a knowledge network: the case of Seniors Health Research Transfer Network knowledge brokers. Implementation Science, 8(7). Open Access paper

Related papers:
Conklin, J Stolee OP., Luesby, D, Sharratt, MT and Chambers LW. (2007) Enhancing service delivery capacity through knowledge exchange: The Seniors Health Research Transfer Network. Healthcare Management Forum, 20:20-26.

Chambers LW., Luesby, D, Brookman, C., Harris, M and Lusk E. (2010) The Seniors Health Research Transfer Network knowledge network model: System-wide implementation for healthcare of seniors. Healthcare Management Forum, 23: 4-9.

Conklin, J and Stolee P: (2008) A model for evaluating Knowledge Exchange in a network context. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 40:116-124.