Building for Success: Mental Health Research With an Integrated Knowledge Translation Approach

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (S5) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Bullock ◽  
Aimee Watson ◽  
Paula Goering

Integrated knowledge translation approaches are one way to facilitate knowledge exchange and support the use of research in practice. This paper explores the elements of an integrated knowledge translation approach using the Systems Enhancement Evaluation Initiative (SEEI) as a case study. SEEI was a 4-year project (2005-2009) that explored the impacts of new funding in Ontario's community mental health system. Here, we describe the process, relationships, and challenges of this collaborative research initiative using a building analogy: getting the right people to do the work, designing the architectural blueprints, establishing the structure, and coordinating all facets of the project. We pay particular attention to the associated constraints and benefits when conducting a large-scale multisite evaluation.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Pfadenhauer ◽  
Tanja Grath ◽  
Peter Delobelle ◽  
Nasreen Jessani ◽  
Joerg J Meerpohl ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe Collaboration for Evidence-based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa (CEBHA+) is a research consortium concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases. CEBHA+ seeks to engage policymakers and practitioners throughout the research process in order to build lasting relationships, enhance evidence uptake, and create long-term capacity among partner institutions in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda in collaboration with two German universities. This integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach includes the formal development, implementation and evaluation of country specific IKT strategies.MethodsWe have conceptualised the CEBHA+ IKT approach as a complex intervention in a complex system. We will employ a comparative case study (CCS) design and mixed methods to facilitate an in-depth evaluation. We will use quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, quarterly updates, and a policy document analysis to capture the process and outcomes of IKT across the African CEBHA+ partner sites. We will conduct an early stage (early 2020) and a late-stage evaluation (early 2022), triangulate the data collected with various methods at each site and subsequently compare our findings across the five sites.Discussion Evaluating a complex intervention such as the CEBHA+ IKT approach is complicated, even more so when undertaken across five diverse countries. Despite conceptual, methodological and practical challenges, our comparative case study addresses important evidence gaps: While involving decision-makers in the research process is gaining traction worldwide, we still know very little regarding (i) whether this approach really makes a difference to evidence uptake, (ii) the mechanisms that make IKT successful, and (iii) relevant differences across socio-cultural contexts. The evaluation described here is intended to provide relevant insights on all of these aspects, notably in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is expected to contribute to the science of IKT overall.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selena Davis ◽  
Marcy Antonio ◽  
Mindy Smith ◽  
Paul Burgener ◽  
Danielle C. Lavallee ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Patient-centred measurement (PCM) aims to improve overall quality of care through the collection and sharing of patients’ values and perspectives. Yet, the use of PCM in care team decisions remains limited. Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) offers a collaborative, adaptive approach to explore best practices for incorporating PCM into primary care practices by involving knowledge users, including patients and providers, in the exploratory process. OBJECTIVE (i) test the feasibility of using patient-generated data (PGD) in team-based care; (ii) describe use of these data for team-based mental health care; and (iii) summarize patient and provider care experiences with PCM. METHODS We conducted a multi-methods exploratory study in a rural team-based primary care clinic using IKT to co-design, implement and evaluate use of PCM in team-based mental health care. Care pathways, workflows, and quality improvement activities were iteratively adjusted to improve integration efforts. Patient and provider experiences were evaluated using individual interviews relating use of PCM and patient portal in practice. All meeting notes, interview summaries, and emails were analyzed to create a narrative evaluation. RESULTS During co-design, a care workflow was developed for incorporating electronically-collected PGD from the patient portal into the electronic medical record (EMR), and customized educational tools and resources were added. During implementation, care pathways and patient workflows for PCM were developed. Patients found portal use easy, educational, and validating, but data entries were not used during care visits. Providers saw the portal as extra work and lack of portal/EMR integration was a major barrier. The IKT approach was invaluable for addressing workflow changes and understanding ongoing barriers to PCM use and quality improvement. CONCLUSIONS Although the culture towards PCM is changing, use of PCM during care was not successful. Patients felt validated and supported through portal use and could be empowered to bring these data to their visits. Training, modeling, and adaptable PCM methods are needed before PCM can be integrated into routine care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Mendell ◽  
Lindsey Richardson

Abstract Background Solutions to complex public health issues should be informed by scientific evidence, yet there are important differences between policy and research processes that make this relationship challenging. Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) is a strategy of sustained stakeholder engagement that intends to address barriers to evidence use. We highlight an example of an IKT project alongside a randomized controlled trial of a public policy intervention that tested different disbursement patterns of income assistance among people who use drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia. Methods A case study design was used where an IKT strategy led by a knowledge broker embedded within the research team acts as the case. This case study evaluates the process and effectiveness of the integrated knowledge translation project by measuring intermediate outcomes within a Theory of Change created to map pathways to impact. Content analysis was performed using an evaluation template through document review, post-event evaluations, and detailed tracking of media, knowledge translation activities and requests for information. Results A host of knowledge translation products synthesized existing research about the harms of synchronized income assistance disbursement and supported stakeholder engagement, facilitating conversation, relationship building and trust with stakeholders. Engagement improved knowledge of the contextual feasibility for system change, and contributed experiential knowledge to study findings. A combination of access to information and stakeholder and media engagement led to increased acknowledgement of the issue by policy makers directly involved in the income assistance system. Conclusions This project shows how a multipronged approach to IKT addressed barriers to evidence-informed public policy and successfully contributed to increased public discourse around income assistance policy reform. Additionally, sustained engagement with diverse stakeholders led to improved contextual knowledge and understanding of potential community level impacts that, along with scientific results, improved the evidence available to inform system change. This case study provides insight into the role IKT can play alongside research aimed at public policy improvements. Trial registration This IKT project was embedded within the study titled: The impact of Alternative Social Assistance Disbursement on Drug-Related Harm (TASA), known as Cheque Day Study, registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02457949) May 29, 2015.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Preyde ◽  
Jeff Carter ◽  
Randy Penney ◽  
Kelly Lazure ◽  
John Vanderkooy ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Pfadenhauer ◽  
Tanja Grath ◽  
Peter Delobelle ◽  
Nasreen Jessani ◽  
Joerg J. Meerpohl ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Collaboration for Evidence-based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa (CEBHA+) is a research consortium concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases. CEBHA+ seeks to engage policymakers and practitioners throughout the research process in order to build lasting relationships, enhance evidence uptake, and create long-term capacity among partner institutions in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda in collaboration with two German universities. This integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach includes the formal development, implementation and evaluation of country specific IKT strategies. Methods We have conceptualised the CEBHA+ IKT approach as a complex intervention in a complex system. We will employ a comparative case study (CCS) design and mixed methods to facilitate an in-depth evaluation. We will use quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, quarterly updates, and a policy document analysis to capture the process and outcomes of IKT across the African CEBHA+ partner sites. We will conduct an early stage (early 2020) and a late-stage evaluation (early 2022), triangulate the data collected with various methods at each site and subsequently compare our findings across the five sites. Discussion Evaluating a complex intervention such as the CEBHA+ IKT approach is complicated, even more so when undertaken across five diverse countries. Despite conceptual, methodological and practical challenges, our comparative case study addresses important evidence gaps: While involving decision-makers in the research process is gaining traction worldwide, we still know very little regarding (i) whether this approach really makes a difference to evidence uptake, (ii) the mechanisms that make IKT successful, and (iii) relevant differences across socio-cultural contexts. The evaluation described here is intended to provide relevant insights on all of these aspects, notably in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is expected to contribute to the science of IKT overall.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mwawi Ng'oma ◽  
Tesera Bitew ◽  
Malinda Kaiyo-Utete ◽  
Charlotte Hanlon ◽  
Simone Honikman ◽  
...  

Africa is a diverse and changing continent with a rapidly growing population, and the mental health of mothers is a key health priority. Recent studies have shown that: perinatal common mental disorders (depression and anxiety) are at least as prevalent in Africa as in high-income and other low- and middle-income regions; key risk factors include intimate partner violence, food insecurity and physical illness; and poor maternal mental health is associated with impairment of infant health and development. Psychological interventions can be integrated into routine maternal and child healthcare in the African context, although the optimal model and intensity of intervention remain unclear and are likely to vary across settings. Future priorities include: extension of research to include neglected psychiatric conditions; large-scale mixed-method studies of the causes and consequences of perinatal common mental disorders; scaling up of locally appropriate evidence-based interventions, including prevention; and advocacy for the right of all women in Africa to safe holistic maternity care.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila T. Moodie ◽  
Marlene P. Bagatto ◽  
Linda T. Miller ◽  
Anita Kothari ◽  
Richard Seewald ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Edson P. Yarcia ◽  
Jan Michael Alexandre C. Bernadas

Purpose This paper aims to examine key obligations of states to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) under the right to health framework in the context of COVID-19. As a case study, it also describes the state of health in places of detention in the Philippines during the pandemic, with an end view of providing granular recommendations for prison policy reforms. Design/methodology/approach Relevant rules under international human rights law related to places of detention were thematically analyzed to articulate the scope of the right to health of PDLs. To describe the state of places of detention in the Philippines, this paper relied on archival research of news from selected local mainstream and specialized media. Findings The right to health framework provides a foundation for the response to COVID-19 in places of detention. Key concerns include increase in the number of infections, vulnerabilities in physical and mental health, and the spread of infection among correctional staff. Long-standing structural constraints and limited health information compound the threat of COVID-19. The Philippines must comply with its human rights obligations to PDLs to effectively address COVID-19-related concerns. Practical implications Policy reforms in Philippine places of detention must include application of community standards on physical and mental health, implementation of emergency release and application of non-custodial measures for long-term prison decongestion. Originality/value This is one of the few papers to analyze human rights in health care in places of detention during a pandemic, as nuanced in the context of the Philippines.


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