The Transfer of New Knowledge into Practice: Exploration of Implementation Plans in Palliative Care Research

Objective: Despite increasing levels of research evidence being generated in palliative care, there appear to be several barriers to the implementation of research in practice.The aim of this project was to review knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) frameworks used in health setting sand assess their relevance to palliative care.Methods: In line with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic scoping review was developed to search articles included insix electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO) for four terms (knowledge, transfer,framework, healthcare) and their variations.Results: The search identified 4288 abstracts, with 294 eligible for full-text screening, resulting in 79 papers analysed.Studies were published between 1985 and 2014 (two-thirds since 2006); the majority were conducted in North America. In total 87 models were indicated, with the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services Framework (PARIHS) being the most common (n =15).The key components of the models include a partnership or collaborative approach to KTE, focus on the needs of the audience, and an awareness of different modes of communication. The papers were appraised for relevance to the palliative care and it was found that the study or the target population were relevant in many of the papers. The components most relevant to palliative care were used to establish a proposed model of KTE for palliative care.Conclusions: The model offers guidance as to effective ways of translating different types of research knowledge to care providers and stakeholders, and could be utilised in hospital, community and home based settings as well as to inform future research. It is recommended that researchers adopt this model of KTE for palliative care in future research to ensure that research is conducted with knowledge transfer in mind.