Facilitating and Impeding Factors for Knowledge Translation in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Results from a Consultation Workshop in Iran

Abstract

AbstractThe authors report on the outcome of a consultation workshop held in Iran, which focused on knowledge translation (KT) and intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). The goal was to learn more about the contextual factors that facilitate and impede KT in applications related to IDD in Iran. Forty‐six stakeholders participated, representing the perspectives of policy‐makers, administrators, parents, practitioners, and researchers. The authors introduced a conceptual framework for KT and assessed KT capacity using a validated tool. They facilitated discussions among stakeholder groups with respect to contextual facilitating and impeding factors, and suggested ways to improve IDD‐related KT activities in Iran. The authors found that all of the stakeholder groups highly valued research, but there were statistically significant differences among the participating stakeholder groups in acquiring, accessing, adapting, and applying research information to their practice. A number of factors, including the existing connections between parents and practitioners, could potentially facilitate the development of collaborative KT strategies. A lack of time, incentives, and resources were reported by all stakeholder groups as impeding factors for KT in IDD. The authors believe the researchers in Iran need to work closer with stakeholder groups to develop KT strategies with respect to IDD and thus achieve more effective dissemination of research findings that affect policy and practice.