Digital Commons Network^™

Is Research Working For You? Validating A Tool To Examine The Capacity Of Health Organizations To Use Research, Anita Kothari, Nancy Edwards, Nadia Hamel, Maria Judd

Anita Kothari

Background: 'Is research working for you? A self-assessment tool and discussion guide for health services management and policy organizations', developed by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, is a tool that can help organizations understand their capacity to acquire, assess, adapt, and apply research. Objectives were to: determine whether the tool demonstrated response variability; describe how the tool differentiated between organizations that were known to be lower-end or higher-end research users; and describe the potential usability of the tool.

Methods: Thirty-two focus groups were conducted among four sectors of Canadian health organizations. In the first hour of the focus group, …

The Contextual Approach In Health Research: Two Empirical Studies, Anita Kothari

Anita Kothari

Researchers are being encouraged to consider contextual influences on health-related outcomes. To support this perspective, two context-sensitive studies were conducted. The first study explored the utilization of a research report by Ontario public health units, and examined whether utilization differed by involvement in the research process. Research utilization was conceptualized as a three stage process (reading, information processing and application). Using a case study design, results from three "involved" public health units and three "uninvolved" units demonstrated that inclusion in the research process led to a greater understanding of the analysis and increased the value associated with the report. Involvement …