During an informative and interactive workshop, experts from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Health Services and Policy Research and the Health Workforce Evidence Support and Knowledge Mobilization (ESKM) Hub shared insights and actions on mobilizing health workforce research. Attendees learned about recent health workforce capacity-building initiatives (including the newly funded ESKM Hub) across Canada; exchanged success stories; and brainstormed strategies to overcome common barriers with engaging partners and workforce members in research.
Key Insights
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Consolidation of existing data, research and findings into one place would be crucial for avoiding duplication, facilitating comparison across research findings, and supporting the exchange of information across all health workforce stakeholders across the country.
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Knowledge mobilization is an integral piece of the puzzle, particularly when it comes to stakeholders who don’t have analytical capacity to digest findings. Knowledge users need to have access to varying levels of detail and the ‘so-what’ of the findings needs to be clear to support swift decision making.
Key Actions
- To support a strengthened health workforce, Canada needs evidence informed solutions that are co-designed and implemented with the support of health workers and health workforce organizations to ensure that interventions are relevant, sustainable, and effectively address the unique challenges faced by health providers.
- Health workforce research needs strong knowledge mobilization to bridge the gap between research findings and practical application in healthcare settings. Knowledge mobilization ensures that evidence from health workforce research is effectively translated into policies and practices that can improve healthcare delivery and decision making.