Connecting for Care: a protocol for a mixed-method social network analysis to advance knowledge translation in the field of child development and rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Connections between individuals and organizations can impact knowledge translation (KT). This finding has led to growing interest in the study of social networks as drivers of KT. Social networks are formed by the patterns of relationships or connections generated through interactions. These connections can be studied using social network analysis (SNA) methodologies. The relatively small yet diverse community in the field of child development and rehabilitation (CD&R) in Canada offers an ideal case study for applying SNA. The purposes of this work are to (1) quantify and map the structure of Canadian CD&R KT networks among four groups: families, health care providers, KT support personnel, and researchers; (2) explore participant perspectives of the network structure and of KT barriers and facilitators within it; and (3) generate recommendations to improve KT capacity within and between groups. Aligning with the principles of integrated KT, we have assembled a national team whose members contribute throughout the research and KT process, with representation from the four participant groups. METHODS: A sequential, explanatory mixed-method study, within the bounds of a national case study in the field of CD&R. Objective 1: A national SNA survey of family members with advocacy/partnership experience, health care providers, KT support personnel, and researchers, paired with an anonymous survey for family member without partnership experience, will gather data to describe the KT networks within and between groups and identify barriers and facilitators of network connections. Objective 2: Purposive sampling from Phase 1 will identify semi-structured interview participants with whom to examine conventional and network-driven KT barriers, facilitators, and mitigating strategies. Objective 3: Intervention mapping and a Delphi process will generate recommendations for network and conventional interventions to strengthen the network and facilitate KT. DISCUSSION: This study will integrate network and KT theory in mapping the structure of the CD&R KT network, enhance our understanding of conventional and network-focused KT barriers and facilitators, and provide recommendations to strengthen KT networks. Recommendations can be applied and tested within the field of CD&R to improve KT, with the aim of ensuring children achieve the best health outcomes possible through timely access to effective healthcare.

Training Intervention and Program of Support for Fostering the Adoption of Family-Centered Telehealth in Pediatric Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Multimethod, Prospective, Hybrid Type 3 Implementation-Effectiveness Study.

BACKGROUND: Children with disability face long wait times for rehabilitation services. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth adoption was low across pediatric rehabilitation. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, pediatric therapists were asked to rapidly shift to telehealth, often with minimal training. To facilitate the behavior changes necessary for telehealth adoption, provision of appropriate evidence-based training and support is required. However, evidence to support the effective implementation of such training is lacking. The successful real-world implementation of a training intervention and program of support (TIPS) targeting pediatric therapists to enhance the adoption of family-centered telerehabilitation (FCT) requires the evaluation of both implementation and effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate TIPS implementation in different pediatric rehabilitation settings and assess TIPS effectiveness, as it relates to therapists' adoption, service wait times, families' perception of service quality, and costs. METHODS: This 4-year, pan-Canadian study involves managers, pediatric occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech-language pathologists, and families from 20 sites in 8 provincial jurisdictions. It will use a multimethod, prospective, hybrid type 3 implementation-effectiveness design. An interrupted time series will assess TIPS implementation. TIPS will comprise a 1-month training intervention with self-paced learning modules and a webinar, followed by an 11-month support program, including monthly site meetings and access to a virtual community of practice. Longitudinal mixed modeling will be used to analyze indicators of therapists' adoption of and fidelity to FCT collected at 10 time points. To identify barriers and facilitators to adoption and fidelity, qualitative data will be collected during implementation and analyzed using a deductive-inductive thematic approach. To evaluate effectiveness, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design will use questionnaires to evaluate TIPS effectiveness at service, therapist, and family levels. Generalized linear mixed effects models will be used in data analysis. Manager, therapist, and family interviews will be conducted after implementation and analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Finally, cost data will be gathered to calculate public system and societal costs. RESULTS: Ethics approval has been obtained from 2 jurisdictions (February 2022 and July 2022); approval is pending in the others. In total, 20 sites have been recruited, and data collection is anticipated to start in September 2022 and is projected to be completed by September 2024. Data analysis will occur concurrently with data collection, with results disseminated throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: This study will generate knowledge about the effectiveness of TIPS targeting pediatric therapists to enhance FCT adoption in pediatric rehabilitation settings, identify facilitators for and barriers to adoption, and document the impact of telehealth adoption on therapists, services, and families. The study knowledge gained will refine the training intervention, enhance intervention uptake, and support the integration of telehealth as a consistent pediatric rehabilitation service option for families of children with disabilities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05312827; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05312827. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/40218.

Frayme: Building the structure to support the international spread of integrated youth services.

AIM: Frayme is a Canadian-based international network designed to accelerate the adoption and scaling up of integrated youth services (IYS). This is done through the synthesis of evidence from a variety of sources and a commitment to integrated knowledge mobilization (KMb) to inform research policy and practice. Frayme is utilizing innovative approaches to stakeholder engagement (youth, families, policy makers, funders, researchers and practitioners) and KMb in order to co-design system change. The purpose of this article describes the overall Frayme strategy and presents findings from a participatory needs assessment implemented to inform policy-related priorities. METHODS: The Frayme leadership team facilitated a participatory needs assessment with major stakeholder groups that applied a modified problem-solving activity. The needs assessment was on a designed to support diverse stakeholder perspectives on ways to improve knowledge mobilization of IYS. Qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis. RESULTS: The four themes identified through the needs assessment were: (a) traditional scientific practices, (b) organizational obstacles, (c) change aversion, and (d) pre-established stakeholder hierarchies. CONCLUSIONS: Through the recognition of these challenges, Frayme has developed a set of major objectives to inform projects, opportunities for knowledge sharing, implementation of evidence and scaling up of efforts. The Frayme integrated KMb model represents a unique applied example of an evidence-informed approach to practice collaboration in KMb to promote system change. The findings from this research also contribute to the expanding knowledge base with regard to complex evaluation and system transformation.

A knowledge management tool for public health: health-evidence.ca.

BACKGROUND: The ultimate goal of knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) activities is to facilitate incorporation of research knowledge into program and policy development decision making. Evidence-informed decision making involves translation of the best available evidence from a systematically collected, appraised, and analyzed body of knowledge. Knowledge management (KM) is emerging as a key factor contributing to the realization of evidence-informed public health decision making. The goal of health-evidence.ca is to promote evidence-informed public health decision making through facilitation of decision maker access to, retrieval, and use of the best available synthesized research evidence evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions. METHODS: The systematic reviews that populate health evidence.ca are identified through an extensive search (1985-present) of 7 electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, BIOSIS, and SportDiscus; handsearching of over 20 journals; and reference list searches of all relevant reviews. Reviews are assessed for relevance and quality by two independent reviewers. Commonly-used public health terms are used to assign key words to each review, and project staff members compose short summaries highlighting results and implications for policy and practice. RESULTS: As of June 2010, there are 1913 reviews in the health-evidence.ca registry in 21 public health and health promotion topic areas. Of these, 78% have been assessed as being of strong or moderate methodological quality. Health-evidence.ca receives approximately 35,000 visits per year, 20,596 of which are unique visitors, representing approximately 100 visits per day. Just under half of all visitors return to the site, with the average user spending six minutes and visiting seven pages per visit. Public health nurses, program managers, health promotion workers, researchers, and program coordinators are among the largest groups of registered users, followed by librarians, dieticians, medical officers of health, and nutritionists. The majority of users (67%) access the website from direct traffic (e.g., have the health-evidence.ca webpage bookmarked, or type it directly into their browser). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent use of health-evidence.ca and particularly the searching for reviews that correspond with current public health priorities illustrates that health-evidence.ca may be playing an important role in achieving evidence-informed public health decision making.

Facilitating access to pre-processed research evidence in public health.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-informed decision making is accepted in Canada and worldwide as necessary for the provision of effective health services. This process involves: 1) clearly articulating a practice-based issue; 2) searching for and accessing relevant evidence; 3) appraising methodological rigor and choosing the most synthesized evidence of the highest quality and relevance to the practice issue and setting that is available; and 4) extracting, interpreting, and translating knowledge, in light of the local context and resources, into practice, program and policy decisions. While the public health sector in Canada is working toward evidence-informed decision making, considerable barriers, including efficient access to synthesized resources, exist. METHODS: In this paper we map to a previously developed 6 level pyramid of pre-processed research evidence, relevant resources that include public health-related effectiveness evidence. The resources were identified through extensive searches of both the published and unpublished domains. RESULTS: Many resources with public health-related evidence were identified. While there were very few resources dedicated solely to public health evidence, many clinically focused resources include public health-related evidence, making tools such as the pyramid, that identify these resources, particularly helpful for public health decisions makers. A practical example illustrates the application of this model and highlights its potential to reduce the time and effort that would be required by public health decision makers to address their practice-based issues. CONCLUSIONS: This paper describes an existing hierarchy of pre-processed evidence and its adaptation to the public health setting. A number of resources with public health-relevant content that are either freely accessible or requiring a subscription are identified. This will facilitate easier and faster access to pre-processed, public health-relevant evidence, with the intent of promoting evidence-informed decision making. Access to such resources addresses several barriers identified by public health decision makers to evidence-informed decision making, most importantly time, as well as lack of knowledge of resources that house public health-relevant evidence.

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of knowledge translation and exchange strategies.

CONTEXT: Significant resources and time are invested in the production of research knowledge. The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of three knowledge translation and exchange strategies in the incorporation of research evidence into public health policies and programs. METHODS: This trial was conducted with a national sample of public health departments in Canada from 2004 to 2006. The three interventions, implemented over one year in 2005, included access to an online registry of research evidence; tailored messaging; and a knowledge broker. The primary outcome assessed the extent to which research evidence was used in a recent program decision, and the secondary outcome measured the change in the sum of evidence-informed healthy body weight promotion policies or programs being delivered at health departments. Mixed-effects models were used to test the hypotheses. FINDINGS: One hundred and eight of 141 (77%) health departments participated in this study. No significant effect of the intervention was observed for primary outcome (p < 0.45). However, for public health policies and programs (HPPs), a significant effect of the intervention was observed only for tailored, targeted messages (p < 0.01). The treatment effect was moderated by organizational research culture (e.g., value placed on research evidence in decision making). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that under certain conditions tailored, targeted messages are more effective than knowledge brokering and access to an online registry of research evidence. Greater emphasis on the identification of organizational factors is needed in order to implement strategies that best meet the needs of individual organizations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial registration number and title are as follows: ISRCTN35240937 -- Is a knowledge broker more effective than other strategies in promoting evidence-based physical activity and healthy body weight programming?

A description of a knowledge broker role implemented as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluating three knowledge translation strategies.

BACKGROUND: A knowledge broker (KB) is a popular knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) strategy emerging in Canada to promote interaction between researchers and end users, as well as to develop capacity for evidence-informed decision making. A KB provides a link between research producers and end users by developing a mutual understanding of goals and cultures, collaborates with end users to identify issues and problems for which solutions are required, and facilitates the identification, access, assessment, interpretation, and translation of research evidence into local policy and practice. Knowledge-brokering can be carried out by individuals, groups and/or organizations, as well as entire countries. In each case, the KB is linked with a group of end users and focuses on promoting the integration of the best available evidence into policy and practice-related decisions. METHODS: A KB intervention comprised one of three KTE interventions evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: KB activities were classified into the following categories: initial and ongoing needs assessments; scanning the horizon; knowledge management; KTE; network development, maintenance, and facilitation; facilitation of individual capacity development in evidence informed decision making; and g) facilitation of and support for organizational change. CONCLUSION: As the KB role developed during this study, central themes that emerged as particularly important included relationship development, ongoing support, customized approaches, and opportunities for individual and organizational capacity development. The novelty of the KB role in public health provides a unique opportunity to assess the need for and reaction to the role and its associated activities. Future research should include studies to evaluate the effectiveness of KBs in different settings and among different health care professionals, and to explore the optimal preparation and training of KBs, as well as the identification of the personality characteristics most closely associated with KB effectiveness. Studies should also seek to better understand which combination of KB activities are associated with optimal evidence-informed decision making outcomes, and whether the combination changes in different settings and among different health care decision makers.

School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6-18.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization estimates that 1.9 million deaths worldwide are attributable to physical inactivity. Chronic diseases associated with physical inactivity include cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the evidence of the effectiveness of school-based interventions in promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy included searching several databases. In addition, reference lists of included articles and background papers were reviewed for potentially relevant studies, as well as references from relevant Cochrane reviews. Primary authors of included studies were contacted as needed for additional information. SELECTION CRITERIA: To be included, the intervention had to be relevant to public health practice, implemented, facilitated, or promoted by staff in local public health units, implemented in a school setting and aimed at increasing physical activity, report on outcomes for children and adolescents (aged 6 to 18 years), and use a prospective design with a control group. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Standardized tools were used by two independent reviewers to rate each study's methodological quality and for data extraction. Where discrepancies existed discussion occurred until consensus was reached. The results were summarized narratively due to wide variations in the populations, interventions evaluated and outcomes measured. MAIN RESULTS: 13,841 titles were identified and screened and 482 articles were retrieved. Multiple publications on the same project were combined and counted as one project, resulting in 395 distinct project accounts (studies). Of the 395 studies 104 were deemed relevant and of those, four were assessed as having strong methodological quality, 22 were of moderate quality and 78 were considered weak. In total 26 studies were included in the review. There is good evidence that school-based physical activity interventions have a positive impact on four of the nine outcome measures. Specifically positive effects were observed for duration of physical activity, television viewing, VO2 max, and blood cholesterol. Generally school-based interventions had no effect on leisure time physical activity rates, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, and pulse rate. At a minimum, a combination of printed educational materials and changes to the school curriculum that promote physical activity result in positive effects. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Given that there are no harmful effects and that there is some evidence of positive effects on lifestyle behaviours and physical health status measures, ongoing physical activity promotion in schools is recommended at this time.