Co-leads: D Kairy, PhD, PT & A Thomas, PhD, OT Advancing Knowledge Translation Research in Rehabilitation: a Quebec Strategic Initiative Co-leads: D Kairy, PhD, PT & A Thomas, PhD, OT Team members: S Ahmed, PhD, PT D Anaby, PhD, OT A Bussières, PhD, DC C Gagnon, PhD, OT ME Lamontagne, PhD, OT A Rochette, PhD, OT K Shikako-Thomas PhD, OT Supported by: K Montpetit-Tourangeau, MC Hallé NAME ALL TEAM MEMBERS AND WHERE THEY ARE FROM

KT-SIRQ Financial support provided by the Quebec Rehabilitation Research Network (REPAR)

Rationale for a strategic initiative in KT research in rehabilitation in Quebec Sub-optimal research use in rehabilitation clinical practice despite growing body of research in rehabilitation (e.g Di Rezze 2012, Duncan 2002, Law 2004) Various patient populations (eg. MSK, neuro) Across the lifespan (eg. Pediatrics, older adults) Advances in the field of KT research, including in rehabilitation Need to organize KT research specifically in the field of rehabilitation: Knowledge Translation Strategic Initiative in Rehabilitation in Quebec (KT-SIRQ) We know that despite a rapidly growing body of evidence in rehabilitation in numerous fields, research use remains sub-optimal. And this research-practice-gap holds true across conditions and across the lifespan, from pediatrics to aging. At the same time, the field of implementation science has been growing steadily, thus providing the rehabilitaiton community with a better understanding of the reasons for the research-practice gap as well as tools aimed at reducing it. In Quebec, the field of KT research specifically in rehabilitation, has been growing over the last few years. There is an increasing number of researchers that have carried out part of their training in this field or that have integrated parts of KT into their research. And therefore, in 2014, sensing that this field was growing and that there may be a critical mass of researchers contributing to this field in Quebec, a strategic inititiative was put into place. The research team led by Aliki Thomas PhD, OT (McGill University) and Dahlia Kairy PhD, PT (Université de Montréal) submitted a request to the Réseau provincial de recherche en adaptation-réadaptation (REPAR) to develop a Quebec Knowledge Translation in Rehabilitation Strategic Initiative.

KT-SIRQ - Who are we? 4 universities Range of patient populations, target audiences and stakeholders McGill University Université de Montréal Pediatric to older adults Université Laval Neurology, orthopedic Université de Sherbrooke Clinical, academic, community, patients, caregivers, government and policy makers 3 research centers CRIR CIRRIS GRIMN So who are we? Let me tell you a little bit about how we came about. We are a group of 9 researchers in Quebec from 4 universities and 3 multi-site research centers, addressing issues for various patient populations, across the lifespan and in divers settings. We first got together to identify the needs and resources that would be needed to help move this field forward. We were encouraged to do so by our research centers and an extensive rehabilitation research network in Quebec of which we are a part of, the REPAR. While the researchers worked with various patient populations, and addressed different end user needs, we quickly saw that we had common needs, questions and goals related to KT in rehabilitation. I would just like to point out that several years prior to this initiative, the rehabilitation research network, the REPAR mentioned previously, recognized the importance of KT in rehabilitation and there was an attempt at regrouping researchers and clinicians in this field. Although there was an interest in this group that was formed, there likely was not yet the critical mass needed to provide a network that could work together and help advance the field

Mission of the KT-SIRQ Build capacity and promote collaborative KT research in rehabilitation to improve the delivery of services and ultimately the health and wellbeing of individuals with physical disabilities

Specific objectives for 1st year (2014-2015) To develop a mission statement for the KT-SIRQ To conduct an environmental scan of KT research activities taking place in rehabilitation in Quebec Develop a 5-year strategic plan for KT rehabilitation research in Quebec So what I’ll be talking to you about today are the activities that we’ve done to date and where we hope to go in the near future.

Methods used to date Mixed-methods approach Iterative consultation process among team members for mission, vision and goals of KT-SIRQ Environmental scan of current rehabilitation KT research activities in Quebec University and funding agency websites, or direct contact to funding agencies Consensus retreat session and Delphi consensus method for priority setting for the strategic plan Expert validation

Outcomes to date – 12 month Vision, mission, and goals While the goal of the talk today is not to report specific findings from each step, we wanted to give you an overview of where we are at and the direction we feel this strategic initiative could go in. In fact, as we advance in some of our activities from the strategic plan, developing our goals has remained an iterative process, we still come back to them, examine their relevance, look for overlap… so what i have here are the initial goals that were developed.

Vision: To enhance the health of individuals with physical disabilities in Quebec by advancing KT research in rehabilitation science. Mission: To build capacity and promote collaborative KT research in rehabilitation to improve the delivery of services and ultimately the health and wellbeing of individuals with physical disabilities. The goals are to: Build capacity in KT research in and implementation in rehabilitation and promote networking Identify and engage relevant stakeholders (e.g., consumers of rehabilitation services, service providers, organizations, decision makers) to support the mission of the Quebec KT Rehabilitation Strategic Initiative Be a catalyst for the creation, application and evaluation of innovative and effective KT strategies for individuals with physical disabilities Advance KT research in rehabilitation

Outcomes to date – 12 months Environmental scan Classification categories of researchers Primarily a KT researcher (e.g. has formalized training in KT (PhD, post doctoral training in KT or courses with KT Canada), all research conducted is centered on an aspect of KT) Researcher conducts research in the field of KT as well as research in areas not directly related to KT. Researcher whose main area of research is not related to KT but appears to include an element of KT in a part of this research (e.g. developing clinical practice guidelines in their main area of research) Exclusion criteria: Researcher excluded because does not meet inclusion criteria (i.e. falls into exclusion criteria: research is not in the field of rehabilitation or not in the field of physical disabilities, research is not in KT field or research projects were prior to 2005, researcher is retired)

Outcomes to date – 12 months Environmental scan From 8 universities Across various stages of the KT process from knwoelge creation to implementation and with different stakeholders We also found 96 projects that had been funded in the last 10 years, funded by 14 different agencies or programs. As you can see one of the limitations we encountered is related to the terminology used, which during our online searches lead to the identification of researchers not involved in KT research.

Outcomes to date – 12 months 5-year strategic plan 4 goals: Build capacity in KT research and implementation in rehabilitation Engage stakeholders Be a catalyst for KT in rehabilitation Advance KT research in rehabilitation Identified relevant strategies for each goal, required actions and resources Conducted expert consultation process regarding coherence, feasibility, relevance (N=7). A 5 year strategic plan that would move the field of rehab research forward

Moving forward: A few lessons learned Importance of : Structuring the initiative to move it forward Buy-in, dedication and active involvement from team members Buy-in from relevant stakeholders Adequate financial resources Range of expertise among team members (different perspectives) Strategic initiative as a valuable tool for capacity building Using frameworks in the strategic initiative: comprehensive frameworks versus multiple models. Given that KT is a multidisciplinary field, researchers with various views are essential

Next steps for the KT-SIRQ Integrate feedback from expert consultation process Validate and expand on environmental scan findings Identify current strengths/weaknesses of and needs for KT research in rehabilitation in Quebec Targeted groups (clinicians, patients, caregivers, decision makers…) Component of the KT process (knowledge creation, dissemination, implementation) Nature of KT research projects

Next steps for the KT-SIRQ Undertake actions from the strategic plan for each goal Some examples: Identify or develop and promote training programs in KT Identify stakeholders in clinical settings and develop links with other complementary initiatives and groups conduct scoping reviews Identify funding opportunities for sustainability of the strategic initiative

Conclusion Over 60 researchers in rehabilitation in Quebec addressing KT in some area of their research Timing is good to put in place structure and resources, as well as identify relevant partnerships and collaborations to help advance the field of KT research in rehabilitation More to come…

Acknowledgments Strategic initiative funded by the REPAR (2014-2015, 2015-2016) Dr. Bonnie Swaine and Dr. Eva Kehayia, CRIR co-directors Katherine Montpetit-Tourangeau (PhD candidate and team coordinator) Marie-Christine Hallé (post-doctoral fellow) Experts consulted during strategic plan validation process