National strategies for knowledge translation in health policymaking: a scoping review

Abstract

Background and objectives. Without strategic actions in its support, the translation of scientific research evidence into health policy is often absent or delayed. This review systematically maps and assesses national-level strategic documents in the field of knowledge translation (KT) for health policy, and develops a practical template that can support Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe countries in producing national strategies for evidence-informed policymaking. Methods. Websites of organisations with strategic responsibilities in KT were electronically searched, based on pre-defined criteria, in July-August 2017, and a search update was carried out in April-June 2021. We included national strategies or elements of national strategies that dealt with KT activities, as well as similar strategies of individual institutions with a national policy focus. Two reviewers screened the strategies for inclusion. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results. Sixty-five unique documents were identified, of which 17 were eligible and analysed for their structure and content. Of the 17, one document was a national KT action plan and six documents were institution-level KT strategies. The remaining 10 strategies, which have also been considered, included two national health strategies, five national health research strategies and three national KT strategies (not specific to health). Thirteen structural elements and seven major themes of health policy KT strategies were identified from the studied documents. Conclusion. KT in health policy, as emerged from the national strategies that our mapping identified, is based on the production and accessibility of policy-relevant research, its packaging for policy-making, and the activities related to knowledge exchange. KT strategies may play different roles in the complex and context-specific process of policy making. Our findings show that the main ideas of health-specific EIP literature appear in these strategies, but their effectiveness depends on the way stakeholders use them. Specific knowledge-brokering institutions and organisational capacity, advocacy about the use of evidence, and close collaboration and co-decision making with key stakeholders are essential in furthering the policy uptake of research results.