Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice: Do Applied Academic Centres Contribute to a Solution? A Plea for International Comparative Research

Abstract

This article refers to the worldwide gap between research and practice. The use of so-called applied academic centres as a possible way to bridge this gap is proposed. Within academic centres, the university, on the one hand, and treatment and (public) health and social welfare services, on the other, together invest in a long-term partnership. A long-term research program and a knowledge-exchange structure are developed. The authors have established these kinds of centres in different fields such as, among others, the field of public health, the field of mental health and the field of social welfare. These centres may differ in important characteristics including the number of organisations involved and the form in which the collaboration is organised. These differences make valuable comparisons possible. A plea is made for further research towards the usefulness of applied academic health centres in promoting evidence-based work within treatment and public health and social work services.

Empowerment onderzoek: een kritische vriend voor sociaal werkers

“…Dit concept werd in Nederland in de begin jaren 90 door Tranzo ontwikkeld als reactie op de kloof die er bestaat tussen wetenschap en praktijk (Garretsen, Bongers, De Roo & Van de Goor, 2005). In co-creatie wordt het onderzoeksprogramma uitgevoerd op basis van drie principes: volstrekte gelijkwaardigheid tussen de universiteit en de praktijkpartners, persoonlijke contacten op meerdere niveaus binnen de betrokken organisaties en een "win-win" voor alle betrokken partijen.…”

Towards evidence-based policy regarding drugs and mental health

“…No, outcomes of meta-analyses and RCTs are often not known and not used in daily practice. As a consequence, policy measures and interventions are often not supported by evidence (Ferguson, 2003;Garretsen, Bongers, & Rodenburg, 2005;Garretsen, Bongers, de Roo, & van de Goor, 2007;Swinkels, Albarran, Means, Mitchell, & Stewart, 2002;Thyer, 2001). The same is true for drug policy and mental health policy (Garretsen & van de Goor, 2004;Pompidou Group, 2004).…”

“…Both producers of knowledge, such as researchers, and users of evidence, such as policy-makers/advisors and other professionals, play a crucial role. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that translating evidence into practice requires radical changes in the behaviour of both the producers and users of evidence (Garretsen et al, 2005(Garretsen et al, , 2007Haines, Kuruvilla, & Borchert, 2004;Maynard, 2007;McEwen, Crawshaw, Liversedge, & Bradley, 2008).…”

“…Most centres promote evidence-based work in the care or treatment sector. A permanent co-operation takes place between the university and field organisations such as health care centres, national knowledge centres and, sometimes, (local) authorities (Garretsen et al, 2007). Activities undertaken in the academic centres are concentrated on research and knowledge exchange.…”

Kom over de brug: het verbinden van beleid, onderzoek en praktijk

“…Maar er zijn ook vele veelbelovende initiatieven te noemen welke goed blijken te werken in het overbruggen van deze kloof, zoals bijvoorbeeld het werken in academische werkplaatsen. 6 Tijdens het congres wordt uitgebreid stil gestaan bij de belemmeringen maar ook bij succesverhalen! Beleid, onderzoek en praktijk zijn vaak nog gescheiden werelden maar tijdens het congres breken we met deze traditie.…”