A scoping review of theories, models and frameworks used or proposed to evaluate knowledge mobilization strategies.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating knowledge mobilization strategies (KMb) presents challenges for organizations seeking to understand their impact to improve KMb effectiveness. Moreover, the large number of theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs) available can be confusing for users. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to identify and describe the characteristics of TMFs that have been used or proposed in the literature to evaluate KMb strategies. METHODS: A scoping review methodology was used. Articles were identified through searches in electronic databases, previous reviews and reference lists of included articles. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened in duplicate. Data were charted using a piloted data charting form. Data extracted included study characteristics, KMb characteristics, and TMFs used or proposed for KMb evaluation. An adapted version of Nilsen (Implement Sci 10:53, 2015) taxonomy and the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy (Powell et al. in Implement Sci 10:21, 2015) guided data synthesis. RESULTS: Of the 4763 search results, 505 were retrieved, and 88 articles were eligible for review. These consisted of 40 theoretical articles (45.5%), 44 empirical studies (50.0%) and four protocols (4.5%). The majority were published after 2010 (n = 70, 79.5%) and were health related (n = 71, 80.7%). Half of the studied KMb strategies were implemented in only four countries: Canada, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom (n = 42, 47.7%). One-third used existing TMFs (n = 28, 31.8%). According to the adapted Nilsen taxonomy, process models (n = 34, 38.6%) and evaluation frameworks (n = 28, 31.8%) were the two most frequent types of TMFs used or proposed to evaluate KMb. According to the ERIC taxonomy, activities to "train and educate stakeholders" (n = 46, 52.3%) were the most common, followed by activities to "develop stakeholder interrelationships" (n = 23, 26.1%). Analysis of the TMFs identified revealed relevant factors of interest for the evaluation of KMb strategies, classified into four dimensions: context, process, effects and impacts. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review provides an overview of the many KMb TMFs used or proposed. The results provide insight into potential dimensions and components to be considered when assessing KMb strategies.

Interprofessional exchanges during COVID-19 at the Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital: insights for research / Échanges interprofessionnels en temps de COVID-19 à l'hôpital Bichat Claude-Bernard : éclairages pour la recherche

The management of the COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted the organization of healthcare in hospitals. As part of a research project on the resilience of hospitals and their staff to the COVID-19 pandemic (HoSPiCOVID), we have documented their adaptation strategies in five countries (France, Mali, Brazil, Canada, Japan). In France, at the end of the first wave (June 2020), a team of researchers and health professionals from the Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital organized focus groups to acknowledge these achievements and to share their experiences. One year later, further exchanges were held to discuss and validate the research results. The objective of this short contribution is to describe the insights of these interprofessional exchanges conducted at the Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital. We show that these exchanges allowed: 1) to create spaces for professionals to speak, 2) to enrich and validate the data collected through a collective acknowledgment of salient aspects related to the experiences of the crisis, and 3) to account for the attitudes, interactions, and power dynamics for these professionals in a crisis management context.

La gestion de l'épidémie de COVID-19 a bouleversé l'organisation des soins dans les hôpitaux. Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche portant sur la résilience des hôpitaux et des professionnel·le·s de santé face à la pandémie de COVID-19 (HoSPiCOVID), nous avons documenté leurs stratégies d'adaptation dans cinq pays (France, Mali, Brésil, Canada, Japon). En France, dès la fin de la première vague (juin 2020), une équipe de chercheur·se·s et des professionnel·le·s de santé de l'hôpital Bichat Claude-Bernard ont organisé des groupes de discussion pour prendre acte de ces accomplissements et pour partager leurs expériences vécues. Un an plus tard, d'autres échanges ont permis de discuter et de valider les résultats de la recherche. L'objectif de cette contribution courte est de décrire les apports de ces temps d'échanges interprofessionnels conduits à l'hôpital Bichat Claude-Bernard. Nous montrons que ceux-ci ont permis : 1) de créer des espaces de parole pour les professionnel·le·s, 2) d'enrichir et de valider les données collectées au travers d'une (re)connaissance collective d'aspects saillants relatifs aux vécus de la crise, et 3) de rendre compte des attitudes, interactions et rapports de pouvoir de ces professionnel·le·s dans un contexte de gestion de crise.

Healthcare system resilience in Bangladesh and Haiti in times of global changes (climate-related events, migration and Covid-19): an interdisciplinary mixed method research protocol.

BACKGROUND: Since climate change, pandemics and population mobility are challenging healthcare systems, an empirical and integrative research to studying and help improving the health systems resilience is needed. We present an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research protocol, ClimHB, focusing on vulnerable localities in Bangladesh and Haiti, two countries highly sensitive to global changes. We develop a protocol studying the resilience of the healthcare system at multiple levels in the context of climate change and variability, population mobility and the Covid-19 pandemic, both from an institutional and community perspective. METHODS: The conceptual framework designed is based on a combination of Levesque's Health Access Framework and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Resilience Framework to address both outputs and the processes of resilience of healthcare systems. It uses a mixed-method sequential exploratory research design combining multi-sites and longitudinal approaches. Forty clusters spread over four sites will be studied to understand the importance of context, involving more than 40 healthcare service providers and 2000 households to be surveyed. We will collect primary data through questionnaires, in-depth and semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participatory filming. We will also use secondary data on environmental events sensitive to climate change and potential health risks, healthcare providers' functioning and organisation. Statistical analyses will include event-history analyses, development of composite indices, multilevel modelling and spatial analyses. DISCUSSION: This research will generate inter-disciplinary evidence and thus, through knowledge transfer activities, contribute to research on low and middle-income countries (LMIC) health systems and global changes and will better inform decision-makers and populations.

When the messenger is more important than the message: an experimental study of evidence use in francophone Africa.

BACKGROUND: Epistemic injustices are increasingly decried in global health. This study aims to investigate whether the source of knowledge influences the perception of that knowledge and the willingness to use it in francophone African health policy-making context. METHODS: The study followed a randomized experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to one of seven policy briefs that were designed with the same scientific content but with different organizations presented as authors. Each organization was representative of financial, scientific or moral authority. For each type of authority, two organizations were proposed: one North American or European, and the other African. RESULTS: The initial models showed that there was no significant association between the type of authority or the location of the authoring organization and the two outcomes (perceived quality and reported instrumental use). Stratified analyses highlighted that policy briefs signed by the African donor organization (financial authority) were perceived to be of higher quality than policy briefs signed by the North American/European donor organization. For both perceived quality and reported instrumental use, these analyses found that policy briefs signed by the African university (scientific authority) were associated with lower scores than policy briefs signed by the North American/European university. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the significant influence of sources on perceived global health knowledge and the intersectionality of sources of influence. This analysis allows us to learn more about organizations in global health leadership, and to reflect on the implications for knowledge translation practices.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: Les injustices épistémiques sont de plus en plus décriées dans le domaine de la santé mondiale. Cette étude vise à déterminer si la source des connaissances influence la perception de ces connaissances et la volonté de les utiliser. MéTHODES: L'étude suit un devis expérimental randomisé dans lequel les participant·es ont été assigné·es au hasard à l'une des sept notes politiques conçues avec le même contenu scientifique, mais avec différentes organisations présentées comme autrices. Chaque organisation était représentative d'une autorité financière, scientifique ou morale. Pour chaque type d'autorité, deux organisations étaient proposées : l'une nord-américaine ou européenne, l'autre africaine. RéSULTATS: Les résultats montrent que le type d'autorité et la localisation des organisations autrices ne sont pas significativement associés à la qualité perçue et à l'utilisation instrumentale déclarée. Toutefois, des interactions entre le type d'autorité et la localisation étaient significatives. Ainsi, les analyses stratifiées ont mis en évidence que pour la qualité perçue, les notes de politique signées par l'organisme bailleur (autorité financière) africain obtenaient de meilleurs scores que les notes de politique signées par l'organisme bailleur nord-américain / européen. Tant pour la qualité perçue que pour l'utilisation instrumentale déclarée, ces analyses stratifiées ont révélé que les notes de politique signées par l'université africaine (autorité scientifique) étaient associées à des scores plus faibles que les notes de politique signées par l'université nord-américaine/européenne. INTERPRéTATION: Les résultats confirment l'influence significative des sources sur la perception des connaissances en santé mondiale et rappellent l'intersectionnalité de l'influence des sources d'autorité. Cette analyse nous permet à la fois d'en apprendre davantage sur les organisations qui dominent la scène de la gouvernance mondiale en santé et de réfléchir aux implications pour les pratiques d'application des connaissances.

Collaborative research and knowledge translation on road crashes in Burkina Faso: the police perspective 18 months on.

In this commentary, we present a follow-up of two articles published in 2017 and 2018 about road traffic crashes, which is an important public health issue in Africa and Burkina Faso. The first article reported on a research project, conducted in partnership with local actors involved in road safety, carried out in Ouagadougou in 2015. Its aim was to test the effectiveness, acceptability, and capacity of a surveillance system to assess the number of road traffic crashes and their consequences on the health of crash victims. Several knowledge translation activities were carried out to maximize its impact and were reported in the 2018 article published in HRPS: monthly reports presenting the research data, large-format printed maps distributed to the city's police stations, and a deliberative workshop held at the end of the research project. The present commentary presents our efforts to deepen our understanding of the impacts of the knowledge translation strategy, based on follow-up interviews, 18 months after the workshop, with the heads of the road traffic crash units in Ouagadougou police stations (n = 5). Several benefits were reported by respondents. Their involvement in the process prompted them to broaden their knowledge of other ways of dealing with the issue of road crashes. This led them, sometimes with their colleagues, to intervene differently: more rapid response at collision sites, increased surveillance of dangerous intersections, user awareness-raising on the importance of the highway code, etc. However, sustaining these actions over the longer term has proven difficult. Several lessons were derived from this experience, regarding the importance of producing useful and locally applicable research data, of ensuring the acceptability of the technologies used for data collection, of using collaborative approaches in research and knowledge translation, of ensuring the visibility of actions undertaken by actors in the field, and of involving decision-makers in the research process to maximize its impacts.

Learning from public health and hospital resilience to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: protocol for a multiple case study (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, and Mali).

BACKGROUND: All prevention efforts currently being implemented for COVID-19 are aimed at reducing the burden on strained health systems and human resources. There has been little research conducted to understand how SARS-CoV-2 has affected health care systems and professionals in terms of their work. Finding effective ways to share the knowledge and insight between countries, including lessons learned, is paramount to the international containment and management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this project is to compare the pandemic response to COVID-19 in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, and Mali. This comparison will be used to identify strengths and weaknesses in the response, including challenges for health professionals and health systems. METHODS: We will use a multiple case study approach with multiple levels of nested analysis. We have chosen these countries as they represent different continents and different stages of the pandemic. We will focus on several major hospitals and two public health interventions (contact tracing and testing). It will employ a multidisciplinary research approach that will use qualitative data through observations, document analysis, and interviews, as well as quantitative data based on disease surveillance data and other publicly available data. Given that the methodological approaches of the project will be largely qualitative, the ethical risks are minimal. For the quantitative component, the data being used will be made publicly available. DISCUSSION: We will deliver lessons learned based on a rigorous process and on strong evidence to enable operational-level insight for national and international stakeholders.

Can We Develop Evidence-Based Guidelines Without Research Expertise?

The development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines has flourished over the past two decades. Unfortunately, many studies have found that the quality of such guidelines is highly variable (Alonso-Coello et al. in Qual Safe Health Care 19:e58, 2010; MacQueen et al. in Can J Psychiatry 62:11-23, 2016); research suggests that some of the guidelines used in psychology have been developed using poor methods for guideline development (Bennett et al. in Depress Anxiety 35:330-340, 2018; Trepanier et al. in: Can Psychol 58: 211-217, 2017). While there remains a dearth of research in this area, typically, it is guidelines themselves that are examined by researchers, while too little attention is paid to the developers, and more specifically to how the guideline development groups are composed and the nature of the expertise of those involved in developing the guidelines. Given the importance of grounding guidelines in science, it is key that guideline development groups be comprised of research experts that will help ensure that this essential aspect be respected. In this brief paper, we provide findings from a recent study in which group composition as well as the expertise of guideline development committee members at the Order of Psychologists of Quebec (OPQ) was examined, as defined by academic research productivity. As results highlighted a clear imbalance between clinical and research expertise in these specific committees, with only a small percentage of researchers being represented, we conclude that major improvements need to be made for research to properly reach practitioners and make recommendations to facilitate this.

A deliberative dialogue as a knowledge translation strategy on road traffic injuries in Burkina Faso: a mixed-method evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Deliberative dialogues are increasingly being used, particularly on the African continent. They are a promising interactive knowledge translation strategy that brings together and leverages the knowledge of diverse stakeholders important to the resolution of a societal issue. Following a research project carried out in Burkina Faso on road traffic injuries, a 1-day workshop in the form of a deliberative dialogue was organised in November 2015. The workshop brought together actors involved in road safety, such as researchers, police and fire brigades, health professionals, non-governmental and civil society organisations, and representatives of government structures. The objective was to present the research results, propose recommendations to improve the situation and develop a collective action plan. METHOD: To better understand the workshop's utility and effects, a mixed-method evaluation was conducted. Data were obtained from two questionnaires distributed at the end of the workshop (n = 37) and 14 qualitative interviews with participants 6-10 weeks after the workshop. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data, and a thematic analysis was conducted for the qualitative data. RESULTS: The data revealed several positive impacts of the workshop, such as the acquisition of new knowledge about road safety, the opportunity for participants to learn from each other, the creation of post-workshop collaborations, and individual behaviour changes. However, several challenges were encountered that constrained the potential effects of the workshop, including the limited presence of political actors, the lack of engagement among participants to develop an action plan, and the difficulty in setting up a monitoring committee following the workshop. CONCLUSION: While the deliberative workshop is not the standard format for reporting research results in Burkina Faso, this model should be reproduced in different contexts. This interactive knowledge translation strategy is useful to benefit from the experiential knowledge of the various actors and to encourage their involvement in formulating recommendations.

Preparation and characterisation of flame retardant encapsulated with functionalised silica-based shell.

Intumescent fire retardant (IFR) coatings are nowadays considered as the most effective flame retardant (FR) treatment. Nevertheless, the principal compound in an IFR system, ammonium polyphosphate (APP), is highly sensitive to moisture and IFR coating effectiveness decreases quickly. The main objective of this study is to encapsulate APP in a hybrid silica-based membrane by sol-gel process using alkoxysilane tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) precursor. The morphology and structure of APP and microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (MAPP) were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results revealed that APP was well encapsulated inside the polysiloxane shells. The thermal degradation of APP and MAPP was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. At 800 °C, the MAPP had higher char residue (70.49 wt%) than APP (3.06 wt%). The hydrophobicity of MAPP increased significantly with the water contact angles up to 98°, in comparison to 20° for APP.

[Motivations of obstetric healthcare personnel to work in rural areas in Niger.] / Motivations des agents obstétricaux qui décident d'exercer en milieu rural au Niger.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the individual motivations influencing health professionals' decisions to work in rural areas. This study was conducted in three of the six districts of the Tillabery region in Niger (Tillabéry, Téra and Ouallam). METHODS: We conducted 102 in-depth interviews with health professionals (physicians, nurses and midwives), which were analysed according to thematic analysis with a mixed approach (inductive and deductive). RESULTS: Multiple individual motivations influence the choice to work in rural areas: the health professional's rural origin, the low cost of living, development of the professional career (to acquire a position of responsibility and to gain experience, working in the public health system) and social relations (superiors and communities). CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the complexity of individual motivation, which depends on a multitude of factors and is expressed differently according to individual trajectories. Improving access to public health service status, and a position of responsibility providing support to health personnel by district managers through positive and formative supervision could be initiatives to support the retention of health personnel in rural areas.

[Art-based rehabilitation program training: a transfer of knowledge]. / Formation pour une intervention de réadaptation par les arts : un transfert de connaissances.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the implementation, processes and perceived efficacy of a pilot project of knowledge transfer in public health, which involves the training/supervision of new practitioners in an art-based rehabilitation program. This innovative evidence-based intervention seeks to promote the well-being of youth with mental disorders through circus and theater workshops. The purpose of this study is to provide a formative evaluation of this pilot project in order to improve the intervention and the knowledge transfer practices in public health. METHODS: This research is based on a participatory and mixed approach, with a ?triangulation-convergence? design, integrating a thematic analysis of qualitative data (semi-structured interviews and Focus Groups), a descriptive analysis of quantitative data (questionnaire of reaction) and a documentary compliance analysis (grid of activity monitoring). RESULTS: The results show that the knowledge transfer strategy has resulted in the training of practitioners who feel ready to take charge of the project, despite implementation gaps. The main barrier was the prolonged and unforeseen absence of project leaders, for reasons out of their control. Nevertheless, the motivation and commitment of the team members acted as a catalyst in this pilot project, which became a setting for discussion and experimentation of the knowledge transfer strategy. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the benefits of adopting a participatory approach and mixed method in the evaluation of knowledge transfer in public health, which would better capture the inherent complexity of social interventions.

Understanding the factors affecting the attraction and retention of health professionals in rural and remote areas: a mixed-method study in Niger.

BACKGROUND: The critical shortage of human resources in health is a critical public health problem affecting most low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to the shortage of health professionals, attracting and retaining them in rural areas is a challenge. The objective of the study was to understand the factors that influence the attraction and retention of health professionals working in rural areas in Niger. METHODS: A mixed-method study was conducted in Tillabery region, Niger. A conceptual framework was used that included five dimensions. Three data collection methods were employed: in-depth interviews, documentary analysis, and concept mapping. In-depth interviews were conducted with three main actor groups: policy-makers and Ministry of Health officials (n = 15), health professionals (n = 102), and local health managers (n = 46). Concept mapping was conducted with midwifery students (n = 29). Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were performed to analyse the data from the concept mapping method. A content analysis was conducted for the qualitative data. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that the local environment, which includes living conditions (no electricity, lack of availability of schools), social factors (isolation, national and local insecurity), working conditions (workload), the lack of financial compensation, and individual factors (marital status, gender), influences the attraction and retention of health professionals to work in rural areas. Human resources policies do not adequately take into account the factors influencing the retention of rural health professionals. CONCLUSION: Intersectoral policies are needed to improve living conditions and public services in rural areas. The government should also take into account the feminization of the medical profession and the social and cultural norms related to marital status and population mobility when formulating human resources management policies.

Research dissemination workshops: observations and implications based on an experience in Burkina Faso.

BACKGROUND: In Burkina Faso, malaria remains the primary cause of healthcare use, morbidity and child mortality. Therefore, efforts are needed to support the knowledge transfer and application of the results of numerous studies to better formulate and implement programs in the fight against the malaria pandemic. To this end, a 2-day dissemination workshop was held to share the most recent results produced by a multidisciplinary research team. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the workshop and the policy briefs distributed there, the effects these produced on research results use and the processes that facilitated, or not, the application of the knowledge transmitted. METHODS: A mixed-methods design was used. The data were drawn from a quantitative evaluation questionnaire completed after the workshop (n = 25/31) and qualitative interviews conducted with the researchers and various actors who attended the workshop (n = 11) and with participants in working groups (n = 40) that later analysed the policy briefs distributed at the workshop. RESULTS: The participants recognised the quality of the research results presented, but felt that more needed to be done to adapt the researchers' language and improve the functioning of the workshop. The potential effects of the workshop were rather limited. Effects were mainly at two levels: individual (e.g. acquisition of new knowledge, personal awareness raising) and local (e.g. change of practice in a local non-governmental organisation). Most participants perceived the utility of the research results, but several reported that their narrow decisional power limited their ability to apply this knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the importance of workshops to inform key actors of research results and the need to undertake several different activities to increase the chances that the knowledge will be applied. Several recommendations are proposed to improve knowledge translation approaches in the West African context, including organising working and discussion groups, developing an action plan at the end of the workshop and offering support to participants after the workshop, among others.

A qualitative case study of evaluation use in the context of a collaborative program evaluation strategy in Burkina Faso.

BACKGROUND: Program evaluation is widely recognized in the international humanitarian sector as a means to make interventions and policies more evidence based, equitable, and accountable. Yet, little is known about the way humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) actually use evaluations. METHODS: The current qualitative evaluation employed an instrumental case study design to examine evaluation use (EU) by a humanitarian NGO based in Burkina Faso. This organization developed an evaluation strategy in 2008 to document the implementation and effects of its maternal and child healthcare user fee exemption program. Program evaluations have been undertaken ever since, and the present study examined the discourses of evaluation partners in 2009 (n = 15) and 2011 (n = 17). Semi-structured individual interviews and one group interview were conducted to identify instances of EU over time. Alkin and Taut's (Stud Educ Eval 29:1-12, 2003) conceptualization of EU was used as the basis for thematic qualitative analyses of the different forms of EU identified by stakeholders of the exemption program in the two data collection periods. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that stakeholders began to understand and value the utility of program evaluations once they were exposed to evaluation findings and then progressively used evaluations over time. EU was manifested in a variety of ways, including instrumental and conceptual use of evaluation processes and findings, as well as the persuasive use of findings. Such EU supported planning, decision-making, program practices, evaluation capacity, and advocacy. CONCLUSIONS: The study sheds light on the many ways evaluations can be used by different actors in the humanitarian sector. Conceptualizations of EU are also critically discussed.

Do knowledge translation (KT) plans help to structure KT practices?

BACKGROUND: A knowledge translation (KT) planning template is a roadmap laying out the core elements to be considered when structuring the implementation of KT activities by researchers and practitioners. Since 2010, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ; Québec Public Health Institute) has provided tools and guidance to in-house project teams to help them develop KT plans. This study sought to identify the dimensions included in those plans and which ones were integrated and how. The results will be of interest to funding agencies and scientific organizations that provide frameworks for KT planning. METHODS: The operationalization of KT planning dimensions was assessed in a mixed methods case study of 14 projects developed at the INSPQ between 2010 and 2013. All plans were assessed (rated) using an analytical tool developed for this study and data from interviews with the planning coordinators. The analytical tool and interview guide were based on eight core KT dimensions identified in the literature. RESULTS: Analysis of the plans and interviews revealed that the dimensions best integrated into the KT plans were 'analysis of the context (barriers and facilitators) and of users' needs', 'knowledge to be translated', 'KT partners', 'KT strategies' and, to a lesser extent, 'overall KT approach'. The least well integrated dimensions were 'knowledge about knowledge users', 'KT process evaluation' and 'resources'. CONCLUSIONS: While the planning coordinators asserted that a plan did not need to include all the dimensions to ensure its quality and success, nevertheless the dimensions that received less attention might have been better incorporated if they had been supported with more instruments related to those dimensions and sustained methodological guidance. Overall, KT planning templates appear to be an appreciated mechanism for supporting KT reflexive practices. Based on this study and our experience, we recommend using KT plans cautiously when assessing project efficacy and funding.

Evaluative study of a MOOC on knowledge translation in five French-speaking countries.

Over the past few years, the RENARD research team has observed a sharp increase in the need for knowledge translation (KT) training. Given the high demand, it has been nearly impossible for the team to provide training entirely in person, and so a massive open online course (MOOC) was developed. Its aim is to promote the use and appropriation of the KT process by practitioners, decision-makers, and others in the public sphere. The goal of this study was to evaluate the MOOC by collecting users' opinions, reactions, appropriation, and practice changes. A qualitative research design was used. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews (n = 16) with professionals from Canada, France, and three West African countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal) who had taken the MOOC. All interviews were subjected to thematic content analysis. The MOOC content was generally appreciated and reused by the respondents. The results revealed one main motive for completing the course: the immediate opportunity to apply their learning in their practice environments. However, most respondents deplored the lack of interaction among learners and expressed the need for coaching with an instructor to deepen the topics covered during the course. The results also revealed connection and accessibility issues linked to the Internet network and unstable access to electricity in West African countries. The study highlights the potential of MOOCs for the acquisition of knowledge and competencies by KT professionals. Several recommendations and avenues of exploration were formulated to optimize and improve future designs of MOOCs on KT.

Facilitators of and barriers to healthcare providers' adoption of harm reduction in cannabis use: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of cannabis use and the potential for negative effects indicate the need for effective prevention strategies and treatment of people who use cannabis. Studies show that harm reduction (HR) in cannabis use is effective in minimising the harmful consequences of the substance. However, health professionals often misunderstand it and resist its adoption due to various obstacles. To our knowledge, there has been no review of the scientific literature on the factors that facilitate or hinder practitioners' adoption of HR in cannabis use. To fill this gap, we aim to identify, through a scoping review, facilitators and barriers to healthcare providers' adoption of HR in cannabis use in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Our methodology will be guided by the six-step model initially proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The search strategy will be executed on different databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, Sociological Abstracts, Érudit, BASE, Google Web and Google Scholar) and will cover articles published between 1990 and October 2022. Empirical studies published in French or English in an OECD country and identifying factors that facilitate or hinder healthcare providers' adoption of HR in cannabis use, will be included. Reference lists of the selected articles as well as relevant systematic reviews will be scanned to identify any missed publications by the electronic searches. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required. The results will be disseminated through various activities (eg, publication in peer-reviewed journals, conferences, webinars and knowledge translation activities). The results will also allow us to conduct a future study aiming to develop and implement a knowledge translation process among healthcare practitioners working with youth in Quebec in order to enhance their adoption of HR in cannabis use.

MOOC-based blended learning for knowledge translation capacity-building: A qualitative evaluative study.

This qualitative study investigated the effectiveness of blended learning using MOOCs (massive open online courses) for capacity-building in knowledge translation (KT). The evaluation followed Kirkpatrick's updated model. A total of 23 semi-directed interviews were conducted with participants working at a research centre in Côte d'Ivoire, with a first wave of interviews immediately post-training and a second wave after five months. Results showed that the training met learners' needs, with both the content and teaching format being deemed appropriate. Learners reacted positively to face-to-face activities and affirmed the importance of coaching for putting learning into practice. Specific KT skills and principles appeared to have been acquired, such as a procedure for structuring the KT process and improved skills for communicating and presenting scientific knowledge. Five months after the training, encouraging changes were reported, but the sustainability of the new KT practices remained uncertain. KT capacity-building initiatives in low- and middle-income countries struggle to meet demand. Little is known about effective KT training in that context, and even less in non-anglophone countries. The study presented here contributes to the understanding of success factors from the learners' standpoint.

[An exploratory synthesis of knowledge brokering in public health]. / Une synthèse exploratoire du courtage en connaissance en santé publique.

There is a call for public health policies and interventions to be evidence-based. Also, using knowledge brokers to foster the use of research results is increasingly recommended. This article presents an exploratory synthesis of the current state of knowledge on this new strategy We conducted a scoping study by consulting the main databases. Nineteen articles were included in the analysis, which was designed with a grid developed iteratively. The synthesis shows that knowledge brokering initiatives include i) planning activities (stakeholder identification, creation of networks and partnerships, context analysis, problem identification, needs identification), ii) support to the brokers (training, technical support, development of a practice guide), and iii) the brokerage activities themselves (information management, liaison between knowledge producers and users, training of users). Only four articles presented empirical data on the effects of brokers' activities. Three were associated with increased knowledge in the target audience. No study showed any impact on clinical behaviours or on public policy content. This synthesis highlights the challenges involved in knowledge brokering activities, as well as the characteristics and skills a broker should possess. While knowledge brokering appears promising, efforts must now be made to evaluate it more systematically to demonstrate its effectiveness.

How does explicit knowledge inform policy shaping? The case of Burkina Faso's national social protection policy.

In 2009, Burkina Faso embarked on a process leading to the development of a national social protection policy (politique nationale de protection sociale-PNPS) in 2012. The objective of this study was to analyze the circumstances under which explicit knowledge was used to inform the process of emergence and formulation PNPS. The term explicit knowledge excludes tacit and experiential knowledge, taking into account research data, grey literature, and monitoring data. Court and Young's conceptual framework was adapted by integrating concepts from political science, such as Kingdon's Multiple Streams framework. Discursive and documentary data were collected from 30 respondents from national and international institutions. Thematic analysis guided the data processing. Results showed that use of peer-reviewed academic research was not explicitly mentioned by respondents, in contrast to other types of knowledge, such as national statistical data, reports on government program evaluations, and reports on studies by international institutions and NGOs, also called technical and financial partners (TFPs). The emergence phase was more informed by grey literature and monitoring data. In this phase, national actors deepened and increased their knowledge (conceptual use) on the importance and challenges of social protection. The role of explicit knowledge in the formulation phase was nuanced. The actors' thinking was little guided by the question of whether the solutions had the capacity to solve the problem in the Burkina Faso context. Choices were based very little on analysis of strategies (effectiveness, equity, unintended effects) and their applicability (cost, acceptability, feasibility). This way of working was due in part to actors' limited knowledge on social protection and the lack of government guidance on strategic choices. Strategic use was clearly identified. It involved citing knowledge (reports on studies conducted by TFPs) to justify the utility and feasibility of a PNPS. Instrumental use consisted of drawing from workshop presentations and study reports when writing sections of the PNPS. The consideration of a recommendation based on explicit knowledge was influenced by perceived political gains, i.e., potential social and political consequences.