Factors Influencing the Uptake of Canadian Research Findings into the Care of Children with Arthritis: A Healthcare Provider Perspective

Abstract

Objective.To determine barriers and facilitators to the uptake of findings from the Research in Arthritis in Canadian Children emphasizing Outcomes (ReACCh-Out) study into clinical care by pediatric rheumatologists (PR) and allied health professionals (AHP) caring for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in Canada.Methods.PR and AHP participated in this qualitative study through telephone interviews. Interview guides were developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework and focused on the use of information from the ReACCh-Out study in the practice of counseling patients and families. A directed content analysis approach was used for coding.Results.Nineteen interviews (8 PR and 11 AHP) were completed. All PR had knowledge of the ReACCh-Out study. Three major themes were identified: (1) both groups are motivated to use information from research in clinical care; (2) volume and emotional effect of information on families are barriers; and (3) specific timepoints in care trigger providing this information. AHP had less knowledge of the ReACCh-Out study, did not feel it was their primary role to provide this information, and have a desire for more opportunity to participate in academic forums related to research.Conclusion.We have described a comprehensive overview of the barriers and facilitators perceived by healthcare providers in the translation of knowledge from JIA research into use in clinical practice. These findings provide a foundation for the development of knowledge translation strategies in the care of children with JIA and other rheumatic diseases.

Parental Perspectives about Research and Knowledge Translation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

“…Many KT strategies focus on the behavior of health care professionals; however, an emerging approach to KT is to direct research information to health care consumers (8). This approach could help to overcome the barriers to KT cited by health care providers (16). In our study, parents described the modalities by which they would prefer to receive information, including emails from their health care team, written handouts, videos, and secure websites, and they noted that the ability to tailor the information to their specific context would be highly desirable.…”

“…A thorough understanding of these factors will help to inform the development of future KT strategies. We recently reported our findings pertaining to the uptake of research knowledge by another group of relevant knowledge users, the health care providers caring for children with JIA (16). The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to the uptake of information from research by parents of children with JIA.…”