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The Role of Integrated Knowledge Translation in Intervention Research

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Abstract

There is widespread recognition across the full range of applied research disciplines, including health and social services, about the challenges of integrating scientifically derived research evidence into policy and/or practice decisions. These “disconnects” or “knowledge-practice gaps” between research production and use have spawned a new research field, most commonly known as either “implementation science” or “knowledge translation.” The present paper will review key concepts in this area, with a particular focus on “integrated knowledge translation” (IKT)—which focuses on researcher-knowledge user partnership—in the area of mental health and prevention of violence against women and children using case examples from completed and ongoing work. A key distinction is made between the practice of KT (disseminating, communicating, etc.), and the science of KT, i.e., research regarding effective KT approaches. We conclude with a discussion of the relevance of IKT for mental health intervention research with children and adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Gender and Health (IGH) and Institute of Neurosciences Mental Health and Addictions (INMHA) to PreVAiL (Centre for Research Development in Gender, Mental Health and Violence across the Lifespan, grant #RDG99326), which is co-led by Drs. Wathen and MacMillan. Dr. MacMillan holds the Chedoke Health Chair in Child Psychiatry.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Information & Media Studies, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

    C. Nadine Wathen

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Harriet L. MacMillan

  3. Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Harriet L. MacMillan

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  1. C. Nadine Wathen
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  2. Harriet L. MacMillan
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Correspondence to C. Nadine Wathen.

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Wathen, C.N., MacMillan, H.L. The Role of Integrated Knowledge Translation in Intervention Research. Prev Sci 19, 319–327 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0564-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0564-9

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