Moving from knowledge to action

The RRTC knows that our work in research and training won't matter if no one knows about it. We want people to actually use our findings. How do we make sure that our findings reach the people they can benefit? We do this in three ways: knowledge translation, dissemination and technical assistance.

What is knowledge translation?

Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) defines Knowledge Translation (KT) as the exchange, synthesis, and ethically-sound application of knowledge- within a complex set of interactions among researchers and users- to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research for Canadians through improved health, more effective services and products, and a strengthened health care system. Basically, KT is a way of closing the gap between what we know from our research and what gets done in a clinical and/or community setting. The RRTC: Health & Wellness works to incorporate KT models into our research so we can reduce the time it takes for knowledge to become action.

For more information on KT, you can read a brief here.

What is dissemination?

Dissemination is the process the RRTC: Health & Wellness uses to get our research findings to specific audiences such as disability and health researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, disability advocacy groups, people with disabilities and the general public. We disseminate our findings by writing fact sheets, reports, journal articles and other forms of printed publications. We also disseminate through lectures, meetings and community events. The website you are reading right now is another way the RRTC: Health & Wellness disseminates our findings.

What is technical assistance?

The RRTC: Health & Wellness is a resource for many organizations and individuals that are seeking expert opinions on disability and health research. Some examples of our technical assistance activities are sharing our knowledge in evaluating new proposals, answering questions about ADA compliance and serving on various editorial boards and committees.