Quality and types of instruments used to assess KTE implementation and impact: a systematic review

Reasons for the study

To help ensure that their research makes a difference, research organizations are committing more time and resources to knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) the practice of putting relevant research into the hands of key decision-makers and stakeholders in a timely, accessible and useful manner. Yet, the effectiveness of current KTE practices has not been routinely or consistently evaluated. In part, this could be because of the lack of instruments for assessing the impact of KTE activities. This systematic review sought to fill this gap. It looked across a wide variety of research fields to identify tools that can accurately and reliably measure how well KTE activities bring research evidence to practitioners and change their knowledge, attitudes and/or behaviour.

Progress

Completed in 2011, the systematic review found that few well-developed instruments are currently available. However, some instruments do show promise as potentially useful tools in evaluating KTE practices.