In reply

Abstract

Graham et al's efforts at developing “integrated knowledge translation” are clearly moving in the right direction, and I strongly support them, particularly if they lead to improved understandings of what constitutes scientific activity.1Pawson R. Tilley N. Realistic Evaluation. Sage Publications, Ltd, London, UK1997Google Scholar Of course, the devil is in the details–it would be very easy to wind up with new “integrated” icing on the old knowledge translation cake, if for example the knowledge-users tend, as seems likely, to defer to knowledge-producers on research design and execution issues.2Timmermans S. Berg M. The Gold Standard: The Challenge of Evidence-Based Medicine and Standardization in Health Care. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA2003Google Scholar Still, the prospect is exciting, and I am hopeful as we stagger forth together. Graham et al's efforts at developing “integrated knowledge translation” are clearly moving in the right direction, and I strongly support them, particularly if they lead to improved understandings of what constitutes scientific activity.1Pawson R. Tilley N. Realistic Evaluation. Sage Publications, Ltd, London, UK1997Google Scholar Of course, the devil is in the details–it would be very easy to wind up with new “integrated” icing on the old knowledge translation cake, if for example the knowledge-users tend, as seems likely, to defer to knowledge-producers on research design and execution issues.2Timmermans S. Berg M. The Gold Standard: The Challenge of Evidence-Based Medicine and Standardization in Health Care. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA2003Google Scholar Still, the prospect is exciting, and I am hopeful as we stagger forth together. In replyAnnals of Emergency MedicineVol. 52Issue 5PreviewHurley et al have contributed thoughtfully to this discussion in their letter,1 and I think our areas of agreement are greater than our differences. We certainly agree on the goals and role of knowledge translation, and also on the value of qualitative, ethnographic, or cognitive engineering approaches to the problem. (Just imagine what knowledge translation would be like if it were dominated by ethnographers and cognitive engineers, rather than by epidemiologists and MPHs). And, we agree that to the extent knowledge translation helps clinicians reduce the gap between global evidence and their local realities, it does good. Full-Text PDF Lost in Translation: Just Lost or Beginning to Find Our Way?Annals of Emergency MedicineVol. 54Issue 2PreviewWe have been reading with interest the dialogue about knowledge translation. The refinement of the discussion through the explanations and responses provide a great example of knowledge translation in action. As the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is responsible for coining the term knowledge translation, we thought it appropriate to participate in the discussion. When the Canadian Institutes of Health Research was created in 2000, knowledge translation was a unique aspect of our parliamentary mandate. Full-Text PDF