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1 Minding the Gap: the Barriers and Facilitators of getting evidence into policy when using a knowledge-brokering approach

Relevant to: Research, Policy, Practice
Sector: Health
Summary: This article explores what helps and hinders getting knowledge into action when knowledge brokering is used as the mechanism for change, in the field of mental health.

This article explores what helps and hinders getting knowledge into action when knowledge brokering is used as the mechanism for change, in the field of mental health. The authors focus on four areas in Scotland which had used resources called Outcomes Frameworks to inform local mental health planning. The Outcomes Frameworks were developed using Ward’s (2009) theoretical framework of knowledge brokering. The authors used 13 in-depth interviews with participants who had used the Outcomes Framework as a planning tool. A number of factors are identified that could help or hinder the movement of knowledge into action and knowledge brokering was identified as central to this process. A major barrier identified in this study was local cultural context, which for those working in Practice was found to be focused on outcomes rather than evidence; a major facilitator was identified as partnerships. The authors conclude that using a knowledge brokering approach and the Outcome Framework appears to have been successful in reducing or mitigating some of the barriers to moving knowledge into action and enhanced some of the facilitators, although they stress that further research would be required to validate the findings. The study, although relatively small in scope, is a useful road test of the practical application of a theoretical framework.

Reid, G., Connolly, J., Halliday, W., Love A-M., Higgins, M., and MacGregor A (2017) Minding the Gap: The barriers and facilitators of getting evidence into policy when using a knowledge-brokering approach. Evidence and Policy 13(1): 29-38.

Related Articles:
Ward, V, House, A, Hamer, S, (2009), Developing a framework for transferring knowledge into action: A thematic analysis of the literature. Health Services Research and Policy, 14: 156–64.