Table 1 MSFHR Programs and Knowledge Translation (KT) Elements (as of March 2012)
From: Translating evidence into practice: the role of health research funders
Program | KT element | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
Health Services and Policy Research Support Network | ||
Health Authority Capacity Building Program: grant to facilitate participation in health services and policy research and evaluation activities | Overall KT focus | Health authority execs reported more evidence informed decision-making; staff reported that research evidence was used to improve services and programs |
Investigative Teams Program: funding for five teams of researchers and decision makers | Team structure supported the conduct and uptake of research | |
Operating Grants Program: research to evaluate or inform health system redesign | Most findings disseminated; some were used to make decisions | |
BC Nursing Research Initiative | ||
Nursing Research Facilitator Program: funding for facilitators to act as researcher contact, help staff use evidence | Overall KT focus | Evaluations in development or underway |
Nursing Health Services Network: brings together academic, practice and policy communities to advance nursing research | ||
Funding programs: research projects, investigative teams, partnership research, commissioned research | ||
Team Awards | ||
Research Unit Awards | Requirements include collaborative research activities to address health system priorities; dissemination | Until recently, annual reports from the units requested only basic information on KT activities |
Research Team Start-Up Awards | ||
Research Team Planning Awards | ||
Networking Awards | ||
Health of Population Networks: eight networks of health researchers with a common interest in specific populations | KT focus | Evaluation framework not developed until halfway through awards but collectively the networks developed a knowledge exchange plan, report [14] indicated they increased the quality, quantity and impact of health research in BC. |
Technology/Methodology Platform Awards: helped establish five provincial cross cutting platforms that support a range of health research applications | Some KT requirements | A range of KT activities reported, including guideline and best practice development, training, public engagement, and online resources |
Personnel Programs | ||
Awards to support researchers from trainees to established investigators | Limited KT | Information on KT activities requested only recently in annual reports, which gather data on end user engagement and dissemination |