Methodologies to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Knowledge Translation Interventions

Description

This review summarizes the rationale and methods for evaluating knowledge translation (KT) interventions and suggests how to select among different evaluation study designs.

Steps for Using Method/Tool

The paper suggests issues to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of KT interventions:

• Determine whether the focus of the evaluation is locally applicable or generalizable knowledge.
• Focus on evaluation study designs that establish internal validity (the degree to which an observed effect can be attributed to the intervention under study).
• Focus on evaluation study designs that establish external validity or generalizability (the degree to which results found in one setting could be reproduced in the real world).
• Carry out qualitative studies alongside quantitative evaluation studies to increase understanding of context and why interventions were successful or not.