Building Capacity for Knowledge Translation in Rehabilitation: The Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy's Knowledge Translation Summit.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Enhancing health care through the implementation of evidence-based practices is a complex task, demanding specialized expertise and a distinct set of skills to facilitate success. A knowledge translation (KT) capacity-building initiative is a process that leads to greater individual, organizational, or system capabilities to translate high-quality evidence, such as clinical practice guidelines, into practice. The KT Summit, a KT capacity-building initiative, was developed by the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy and includes an in-person workshop, quarterly reports, mentoring for 2 years, and a funding opportunity. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the development, implementation, and outcomes of the KT Summit over a 6-year period.

Summary of key points: In this special interest article, we describe the KT Summit's development and evolution, application process, education and training format, curriculum, funding opportunity, outcomes, and lessons learned. Over the initial 3 cohorts, there was a notable increase in the number of projects initiated and groups. Furthermore, there was a substantial decline in the failure rate of projects, decreasing from 50% to 15% over time. This article outlines the reported contributors to success and the ways the participants used their KT education.

Recommendations for clinical practice: This article highlights an education and training method that resulted in successful implementation initiatives across several health care organizations. Factors that contributed to KT success included participating in the KT Summit, support from organizational leadership, and a local champion. More research is needed to evaluate the optimal components and economic outcomes of KT capacity-building initiatives.