Sara Dakhesh, Afshin Ostovar, Bahareh Yazdizadeh and Ali Hamidi* Knowledge Translation Process among Academic Researchers: A Case Study of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2017-0093 Received November 15, 2017; accepted March 18, 2018 Abstract: Today, most of the results and knowledge obtained from national and international research do not actually change the health status of people, which has led to a gap or distance between knowledge and practice. This research was a descriptive survey and examined the status of the knowledge translation process among the researchers of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from 2011 to 2015. The study population consisted of the researchers of the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, who were chosen using a completely randomized design. 83 researchers were finally selected by the inclusion criteria of presenting or collaborating on at least five approved areas of research during the 2011– 2015 period. Data collection was undertaken using the Assessment Questionnaire of Academic Researchers Knowledge Translation Activities, with its psychometric test also used. The results showed that the researchers’ performance was rated in the fields of transfer of the research question, knowledge production, knowledge transfer and promoting the use of evidence with 64, 75, 63 and 67 % of the total score (mean ± SD) of 19.40 ± 3.89, 26.30 ± 3.97, 37.79 ± 6.89 and 13.39 ± 3.41 respec- tively. Based on the results of this study, the performance of the researchers in the process of knowledge translation was at a desired level while, in the fields of the research tool, the researchers had the best research performance in knowledge production and promoting the use of evi- dence, transfer of research question and knowledge transfer (all at the desirable level). However, the gap between knowledge and practice of the researchers in the fields of transfer of the research question and knowl- edge transfer was noticeable. Therefore, in order to strengthen all aspects of the research activities of the knowledge translation process, the provision of proper premises and structure will be a priority for the univer- sity’s research and technology departments. Keywords: knowledge translation, knowledge transfer, health, researchers, University of Medical Sciences Introduction One of the challenges for the health care system is how to effectively fill the gap between “what we know and what we do”, referred to as the “knowledge transfer gap” (Straus, Graham, and Mazmanian 2006). The existence of such a gap between research and practice results in adverse outcomes in the treatment sector, especially for patients (Lomas 1991). Since 2004, the linkage of ‘research’ and ‘practice’ has been taken into considera- tion by the World Health Organization (WHO) and, there- after, the suggestion to use research knowledge has been raised repeatedly in research centers (Nejat, Majdzadeh, and Ghorbani et al. 2008). Recently, regarding the increasing number of papers published by the universi- ties of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Training, the question of how far these studies have focused on providing health services and improving peo- ple’s health arises. The results of the studies indicate that the mechanisms for writing and publishing scientific papers and research reports have not succeeded in trans- ferring the results of such research to their audience at the right time (Asayesh et al. 2014; Ferdosi and Alavi 2011; Hosseini et al. 2010; Kermanshahani 2013; Nejat, Majdzadeh, and Ghorbani et al. 2008). Therefore, for implementing an applied research, selecting the right and comprehensive audience, determining research prio- rities and publishing the key message of the research in a simple and understandable language for the beneficiary group are essential. In other words, it can be concluded that through the production of useful and applied science the scientific authority response to problems in the field of health and treatment will be possible. In this regard, knowledge translation (KT) is an effective strategy for *Corresponding author: Ali Hamidi, Paramedicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran, E-mail: a.hamidi@bpums.ac.ir Sara Dakhesh, Afshin Ostovar, Paramedicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran Bahareh Yazdizadeh, Knowledge Utilization Research Center, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran LIBRI 2018; 68(3): 259–268 Brought to you by | Washington University in St. Louis Authenticated Download Date | 9/17/18 7:09 AM