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.

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.

Lessons Learned from Field Experiences on Hospitals' Resilience to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Approach.

In this concluding article of the special issue, we examine lessons learned from hospitals' resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, and Mali. A quality lesson learned (QLL) results from a systematic process of collecting, compiling, and analyzing data derived ideally from sustained effort over the life of a research project and reflecting both positive and negative experiences. To produce QLLs as part of this research project, a guide to their development was drafted. The systematic approach we adopted to formulate quality lessons, while certainly complex, took into account the challenges faced by the different stakeholders involved in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we present a comparative analysis of the lessons learned by hospitals and their staff with regard to four common themes that were the subject of empirical analyses: 1) infrastructure reorganization; 2) human resources management; 3) prevention and control of infection risk; and 4) logistics and supply. The lessons learned from the resilience of the hospitals included in this research indicate several factors to consider in preparing for a health crisis: 1) strengthening the coordination and leadership capacities of hospital managers and health authorities; 2) improving communication strategies; 3) strengthening organizational capacity; and 4) adapting resources and strategies, including for procurement and infection risk management.

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.

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.

[An innovative process for sustaining and scaling up a school-based mental health promotion and anxiety prevention programs: The example of the HORS-PISTE program]. / Processus novateur pour favoriser la pérennisation et la mise à l'échelle de programmes de prévention de l'anxiété à l'école : l'exemple du programme HORS-PISTE.

Context Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychopathologies for children and adolescents in Quebec. The prevalence of anxiety disorders is very high and has been affecting a growing number of young people for the past 10 years. It is possible to observe an increased number of anxiety prevention programs for young people around the world. However, some authors point out that they are rarely faithfully implemented, sustained, and scaled up in several schools. Based on implementation science, this HORS-PISTE program was developed to address these important issues by preventing anxiety in Quebec high school students. Implemented in more than 100 schools, the program is now part of Action 4.3 (Promote the deployment of the HORS-PISTE program) of the new interdepartmental Action Plan on Mental Health of the Government of Quebec (2022). Purpose This article aims to describe how the Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) framework, derived of implementation science, was used to design, implement, sustain, evaluate, and scale up the HORS-PISTE program. This framework proposes a cyclical process in seven phases. Method A multi-method and multi-stakeholder approach was conducted with a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund, which has been supporting 20 innovative projects across Canada since 2019. It includes a pre-post evaluation protocol consisting of validated questionnaires, surveys (administered to students, parents, and teachers), semi-structured logbooks completed by program facilitators and implementation review meetings in each school. The different cycles of the program development, implementation and evaluation are discussed through the KTA framework phases. Results From 2017 to 2021, this methodology made it possible to evaluate and readjust the program each year to promote its adaptation and prepare its scaling up. This article highlights the data collected and analyzed in relation to the seven phases of the KTA framework. Conclusion This article demonstrates how implementation science can support designers of anxiety prevention programs who are concerned by scaling up and sustaining their programs. Issues in combining the scientific rigor of evaluation with the reality of the field are also raised.

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.

The quality of four psychology practice guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) have been shown to improve healthcare services and clinical outcomes. However, they are useful resources only to the degree that they are developed according to the most rigorous standards. Multiple studies have demonstrated significant variability between CPGs with regard to specific indicators of quality. The Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ), the College of psychologists of Quebec, has published several CPGs that are intended to provide empirically supported guidance for psychologists in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, general functioning, treatment and other decision-making support. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of these CPGs. METHODS: The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument was used to assess the quality of the CPGs. RESULTS: Our results show that although there have been some modest improvements in quality of the CPGs over time, there are important methodological inadequacies in all CPGs evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate the need for more methodological rigour in CPGs development as such, recommendations to improve CPG quality are discussed.

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.

Using Information and Communication Technologies to Engage Citizens in Health System Governance in Burkina Faso: Protocol for Action Research.

BACKGROUND: Health systems are complex systems involving a vast range of actors. In West Africa, they are often not accessible or responsive. Burkina Faso has widely expressed, in its public health policy, the need to improve both access to quality care and health system responsiveness. There is also a strong wish to give more voice to citizens. To support Burkinabè institutions in achieving these goals, we have developed an action research (AR) protocol. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents the protocol that will address citizens' participation in health policies and their empowerment through the expression of opinions, for accountability, as well as the strengthening of the health system using information and communication technologies (ICTs). METHODS: Our approach will consist of (1) enabling people to express their opinions on the health system by means of a toll-free (TF) service coupled with an interactive voice server (IVS); (2) building an information base with anonymous and reliable data; and (3) conducting information awareness-raising activities, including knowledge transfer (KT) and advocacy, social integration activities, development of OpenData platforms, and the capitalization and media coverage of governance issues. For this purpose, the AR project will be implemented in Burkina Faso. The design uses a concurrent mixed-methods approach. This AR project will evaluate the acceptability, process, effectiveness, and economic costs of the device's implementation. We will also analyze the potential for the data collected by the device to be used to improve practices. RESULTS: Data collection is in progress; the TF number was officially launched on July 1, 2020, and data collection is planned to continue throughout 2021. By using mixed methods, our AR will be approached from a variety of perspectives. Mixed methods will support us in combining the partial insights into sophisticated realities from qualitative inquiries with the data analyses produced by quantitative research. CONCLUSIONS: This AR is expected to add knowledge on how to increase the empowerment of the population, especially the most vulnerable, to participate in democratic processes and enjoy and exercise their human rights. This protocol recommends implementing a low-cost, contextually adapted technology, associated with an evidence-based approach and carried out on a significant scale. The originality of this approach lies in the fact that it introduces a real AR dimension with local communities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), combined with an integrated strategy of KT and application throughout the project for all stakeholders. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/28780.

Effect of Natural Disaster-Related Prenatal Maternal Stress on Child Development and Health: A Meta-Analytic Review.

The evidence supporting the idea that natural disaster-related prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) influences the child's development has been accumulating for several years. We conducted a meta-analytical review to quantify this effect on different spheres of child development: birth outcomes, cognitive, motor, physical, socio-emotional, and behavioral development. We systematically searched the literature for articles on this topic (2756 articles retrieved and 37 articles included in the systematic review), extracted the relevant data to calculate the effect sizes, and then performed a meta-analysis for each category of outcomes (30 articles included across the meta-analyses) and meta-regressions to determine the effect of some factors of interest on the association between PNMS and child development: type of PNMS (objective, psychological, cognitive, diet), type of natural disaster (ice storm, flood/cyclone), type of report (maternal, third-party observer, medical), timing of exposure (preconception exposure included or not) and child age at assessment (under 10 or 10 years and older). We found that PNMS significantly influences all spheres of child development. Higher PNMS levels were associated with longer gestational age, larger newborns, and higher BMI and adiposity levels, as well as worse cognitive, motor, socio-emotional, and behavioral outcomes.

Use of infographics as a health-related knowledge translation tool: protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Efforts to bridge the know-do gap have paved the way for development of the field of knowledge translation (KT). KT aims to understand how evidence use can best be promoted and supported through different activities. For dissemination activities, infographics are gaining in popularity as a promising KT tool to reach multiple health research users (eg, health practitioners, patients and families, decision-makers). However, to our knowledge, no study has yet mapped the available evidence on this tool using a systematic method. This scoping review will explore the depth and breadth of evidence on infographics use and its effectiveness in improving research uptake (eg, raising awareness, influencing attitudes, increasing knowledge, informing practice and changing behaviour). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will use the scoping review methodological framework first proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005), improved by Levac et al, and further refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute (2020). The search will be conducted in MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Social Science Abstracts, Library and Information Science Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Cairn and Google Scholar. We will also search for relevant literature from the reference lists of the included publications. Two independent reviewers will select the studies. All study designs will be eligible for inclusion, with no date or publication status restrictions. The included studies will have evaluated infographics that disseminate health research evidence and target a non-scientific audience. A data extraction form will be developed and used to extract and chart the data, which will then be synthesised to present a descriptive summary of the results. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required. To inform the research and KT communities, various dissemination activities will be developed, including user-friendly KT tools (eg, webinars, fact sheets and infographics), open-access publication and presentations at KT events and conferences.

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.

Research use at the Ministry of Health in Burkina Faso: the decision-makers' perspective.

BACKGROUND: Despite the increased emphasis placed on the use of evidence for policy development, relatively few initiatives have been developed to support evidence-informed decision-making, especially in West Africa. Moreover, studies examining the conditions under which policy-makers use research-based evidence are still scarce, but they show that their attitudes and opinions about research are one of the main determinants of such use. In February 2017, Burkina Faso's Minister of Health planned to create a unit to promote evidence-informed decision-making within the ministry. Before the unit was set up, documenting the attitudes towards research at the highest levels of his Ministry appeared profitable to the unit's planning. METHOD: Individual interviews were conducted by the author with 14 actors positioned to consider evidence during decision-making from the Burkina Faso's Minister of health cabinet. An interview grid was used to explore several themes such as attitudes towards research, obstacles and facilitators to research use, example of research use in decision-making and finally, ways to increase decision-makers' participation in knowledge transfer activities. Interviews were partially transcribed and analysed by the author. RESULTS: The results show a mixed attitude towards research and relatively little indication of research use reported by respondents. Important obstacles were identified: evidence inaccessibility, lack of implementation guidelines, absence of clear communication strategy and studies' lack of relevance for decision-making. Many suggestions were proposed such as raising awareness, improving access and research communication and prioritizing interactions with researchers. Respondents agree with the low participation of decision-makers in knowledge transfer activities: more leadership from the senior officials was suggested and greater awareness of the importance of their presence. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion presents avenues for reflection and action to increase the potential impact of the knowledge transfer unit planned within the Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso. This innovative initiative will be impactful if the obstacles identified in this study and policy-makers' preferences and needs are taken into account during its development and implementation.

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.

Steatite Powder Additives in Wood-Cement Drywall Particleboards.

The objective of this study was to develop a new drywall wood-based particleboard as an alternative to gypsum board. Various development iterations have led to the use of wood particles, steatite powder and Portland cement. The resulting outcome shows that screw withdrawal resistance was improved by 37% and bending properties by 69% compared to gypsum board of a similar density (0.68-0.70). The raw surface of the boards is of good quality and comparable to the paper-faced surface of gypsum board. Furthermore, the reaction to fire was evaluated through bench-scale test with a cone calorimeter. The investigated particleboard did not reveal visual signs of combustion after 20 min when exposed to a radiant heat of 50 kW/m2, while burning of the overlay paper of gypsum board occurred at about 57 s, suggesting that wood-cement-steatite powder particleboard could be classified as a quasi non-combustible material.

Video as a public health knowledge transfer tool in Burkina Faso: A mixed evaluation comparing three narrative genres.

BACKGROUND: The dengue virus is endemic in many low- and middle-income countries. In Burkina Faso, the proportion of fevers that could be due to dengue is growing. In 2013, a dengue epidemic spread there, followed by other seasonal outbreaks. Dengue is often confused with malaria, and health workers are not trained to distinguish between them. Three training videos using different narrative genres were tested with nursing students from two institutions in Ouagadougou: journalistic, dramatic and animated video. The study aimed to determine if video is an effective knowledge transfer tool, if narrative genre plays a role in knowledge acquisition, and which narrative elements are the most appreciated. METHODOLOGY: A mixed method research design was used. The relative effectiveness of the videos was verified through a quasi-experimental quantitative component with a comparison group and post-test measurements. A qualitative component identified participants' perceptions regarding the three videos. Data were drawn from a knowledge test (n = 482), three focus groups with health professionals' students (n = 46), and individual interviews with health professionals (n = 10). Descriptive statistics and single-factor variance analysis were produced. A thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Results showed that all three videos led to significant rates of knowledge improvement when compared with the comparison group (p <0.05): 12.31% for the journalistic video, 20.58% for the dramatic video, and 18.91% for the animated video. The dramatic and animated videos produced a significantly higher increase in knowledge than did the journalistic video (with respectively 8.27% (p = 0.003) and 6.59% (p = 0.029) and can be considered equivalent with a difference of 1.68% (p = 0.895). Thematic analysis also revealed that these two videos were considered to be better knowledge transfer tools. Four key aspects are important to consider for a video to be effective: 1) transmitting information in a narrative form, 2) choosing good communicators, 3) creating a visual instrument that reinforces the message and 4) adapting the message to the local context. CONCLUSIONS: Video has proven to be an effective and appreciated knowledge transfer and training tool for health professionals, but the narrative genre of the videos can influence knowledge acquisition. The production of other videos should be considered for training or updating health professionals and their narrative genre taken into consideration. The actual context of constant circulation of new diseases, such as COVID-19, reaffirms the need to train health professionals.