Elsevier

Evaluation and Program Planning

Volume 53, December 2015, Pages 10-17
Evaluation and Program Planning

Knowledge brokering in public health: A critical analysis of the results of a qualitative evaluation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2015.07.003Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • The results presented in this paper may enhance the understanding of the role of the broker.

  • The data also reveal other forms of knowledge utilization than the well-known instrumental one.

  • The results confirm the importance of the interpersonal contacts as a key factor for knowledge use.

  • The results are more consistent with a systemic model.

Abstract

Empirical data on the processes underlying knowledge brokering (KB) interventions, including their determining factors and effects, remain scarce. Furthermore, these interventions are rarely built on explicit theoretical foundations, making their critical analysis difficult, even a posteriori. For these reasons, it appeared relevant to revisit the results of a qualitative evaluation undertaken in the province of Quebec in parallel with a Canada-wide randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating various KB strategies in public health. This paper looks critically at the theoretical foundations of the KB interventions in light of two conceptual models: (1) the dissemination model underlying the KB interventions used in the Canadian trial and (2) a systemic KB model developed later. This critical analysis sheds light on the processes involved in KB interventions and the factors influencing their implementation and effects. The conclusions of the critical analysis are consistent with the systemic model, in which interpersonal contact is an essential condition for effective KB interventions. This analysis may advance knowledge in the field by enhancing our understanding of the role of knowledge brokers as essential mediators in KB processes and outcomes.

Abbreviations

KB
knowledge brokering
KT
knowledge translation

Keywords

Knowledge brokering
Qualitative evaluation
Critical analysis

Cited by (0)

Christian Dagenais is an expert in the field of knowledge translation and evaluation research, disciplines he teaches at Université de Montréal where he is associate professor since 2004. He is also the head of a team of researchers focused on the evaluation of knowledge transfer activities within their respective disciplines. The objective of this research team is to develop the field of knowledge transfer research through interdisciplinary and inter-university collaborations.

Marie-Claire Laurendeau, Ph.D., was Manager of Research and Innovation at the National Public Health Institute of Quebec, associated with the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal until retirement in 2012. She realized, with various collaborators, many projects in knowledge transfer, including: a knowledge synthesis accompanied by a best practices guide, animate a process of knowledge transfer network for public health. She is now a psychologist at McGill University Health Center.

Mélodie Briand-Lamarche, M. Sc., Ph. D. (cand.) has been interested in the issues of knowledge transfer since 2008, when as a master's student, under Christian Dagenais supervision, she had the opportunity of evaluating the implementation processes of a knowledge transfer initiative. She also served as director of projects for evaluation in a knowledge transfer center for a year before beginning her doctoral studies in 2011.