MODELS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present some conceptual models for the knowledge translation process in its extended semantic dimension. Knowledge translation is usually understood through its primary meaning of translating from one language into another language. However, knowledge translation is a concept with a larger semantic universe that has been used in the last years in many research domains, especially in healthcare systems. The basic idea is to maximize the knowledge transfer between a sender and a receiver understanding the knowledge deficit and the absorptive capacity of the receiver. The method used in this paper is a functional analysis of different types of knowledge transfer and of searching for their critical elements. Based on this functional analysis, the paper presents a series of knowledge translation models and some basic competencies needed for the people who initiate knowledge translation. Findings show the complexity of the expert knowledge translation and the need to transform the direct linear process into a series of several processes linked in a cascade. For each sequence, there is a smaller knowledge deficit than the initial one, such that the absorptive capacity of the receiver can accept it