Defining and evaluating transdisciplinary research: implications for aging and technology

Abstract

Purpose: Transdisciplinary research has the potential to enhance the real-world impact of the field of aging and technology. This is a context-driven and problem-focused approach to knowledge production that involves collaboration across scientific disciplines and academic and non-academic sectors. To sustain broader implementation of this approach, a scoping review was conducted on the impact of this approach on research processes, outcomes, and uptake. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was conducted of aging, health/medicine, and technology literatures indexed in three electronic data bases (Medline/OVID, EBSCO, ProQuest) from Jan 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2015. Search terms included 3 themes: (1) transdisciplinarity; (2) research outcomes; and (3) social change. Results: Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. We found that a transdisciplinary approach to research enhances integration of diverse knowledges, scientific and extra-scientific outcomes, capacity to engage in translational research, and the uptake of research knowledge. We also identified a number of facilitators and barriers to successful implementation of this approach. No articles evaluating transdisciplinary research specifically in the context of aging and technology were found. Conclusions: Adoption of transdisciplinary research in aging and technology may foster greater uptake of technological innovation in the real-world by supporting integration of diverse knowledges and enhancing engagement of experiential and non-academic stakeholders in the research and development process. However, supporting successful implementation of this approach requires investment of personal and structural resources. More research is also needed to better understand the evidence base on the adoption of this approach in aging and technology projects.

A critical realist synthesis of cross-disciplinary health policy and systems research: defining characteristic features, developing an evaluation framework and identifying challenges

“…Within the selected publications, we found that cross-institutional collaboration is an (emerging) essential aspect of cross-disciplinarity. Many studies broadly consider cross-disciplinary collaborations to include both disciplinary and institutional crossing [26,58,61,62], highlighting how different disciplines across multiple institutions (horizontal and vertical) can collaborate to effectively establish and address the determinants of health. In addition, the reviewed literature agrees that CDR should contribute to a better understanding of and solutions to complex health problems than monodisciplinary approaches.…”

“…Statement of expected cross-disciplinary outcomes [26,52,57,62,93,97] Are the expected cross-disciplinary outcomes of the research explicitly stated?…”

“…Frequent communication breakdowns and disenchantment among team members [19,23,52,66,73,81] Keeping to a shared cross-disciplinary communication plan from the onset [23,57,60,73,92] Ensuring frequent interaction and meetings among team members [23,60,73,81,85] Using interactive media to develop team communication platforms [23,60,73,79] Challenge of accommodating discipline-specific languages of participating disciplines and stakeholders [19,56,59,67,93] Focusing more on development of a shared language than capturing each discipline's specific tone [19,26,67,85,87] Challenge of finding media suitable to participating disciplines and stakeholders [19,56,59,67] Using various communication mediums and strategies [19,26,81] Conflicts over authorship and publication of research output [19,58,59,67,68] Formulating authorship guidelines from the onset of the project [19,…”

“…Going forward, two main areas need priority attention in future research; first, developing methodological guidance on how to perform cross-disciplinary HPSR should attract priority attention to assure further advancement of the field. We acknowledge that some important efforts in that regard have emerged [2,26]. However, much work is needed to advance understanding of diverse contexts/aspects and their configurations.…”

A protocol for co-creating research project lay summaries with stakeholders: guideline development for Canada’s AGE-WELL network

“…Collaborative team approach: stakeholder involvement in the research process Patient and public participation is an increasingly popular approach to research [14], and a collaborative team approach is proving to be essential in various fields of research and practice [13,[15][16][17]. The collaborative research approach involves academics/scientists collaborating with stakeholders from different disciplinary and sectoral backgrounds (e.g., older adults, caregivers, community organizations, industries, policymakers) to foster knowledge exchange and integration across disciplines and sectors [18].…”