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. 2019 Oct 24;30(4):648–659. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckz164

Table 2.

Technical, behavioural, organizational and contextual barriers to KT in public health policy and practice

Decision-makers Technical Behavioural Organizational Contextual
Community health managers
  • Lack of access and availability of applicable research evidence59

  • Lack of timely research output81,87

  • Lack of credibility of the evidence81,97

  • Negative perceptions of research utilization: i.e. perceived as a bureaucratic/timely process59,96

  • Lack of joint understanding between researchers and decision-makers88,96,98

  • Lack of motivation, awareness, and skills to seek, appraise, and interpret the evidence/systematic reviews96

  • Formal evaluation of KT activities seen as highly challenging33

  • The culture of decision-making (i.e. resistance to change)11,87

  • Practical constraints87

  • Lack of accountability in the use of evidence87

  • Competing influences on decision- making87, role of the media98

  • a Lack of cultural appropriateness, accept ability or applicability in practice35,41,66,96

  • a Conflicts of interest87

  • a Few agencies involving users/general public in KT activities33

Health policy-makers
  • Lack of access and availability of applicable research evidence87,96

  • Lack of timely research output81,87

  • Lack of credibility of the evidence81,97

  • Negative perceptions of research utilization: i.e. perceived as a bureaucratic/timely process96,96

  • Lack of motivation awareness, and skills to seek, appraise, and interpret systematic reviews96 (i.e. belief that it is too time consuming)96,11

  • Formal evaluation of KT activities seen as highly challenging33

  • The culture of decision-making (i.e. resistance to change)11,87

  • Lack of resources or organizational support11,81,100

  • Lack of accountability in the use of evidence87

  • a Lack of relevance to policy needs (i.e. locally useful, evidence on costs)98,81

  • a Legislative constraints81,97

  • a Short-sighted considerations of political support or feasibility97

  • Competing influences on decision-making87,104,105

  • Role of the media98

Clinicians and allied health professionals
  • Lack of database access109

  • Lack of rapidly available, and suitably filtered information22

  • a Complex nature of some evidence-based therapies or guidelines72

  • Lack of skills to appraise, understand and apply research evidence (including digital skills)22

  • Lack of awareness or agreement with the guidelines22;

  • a Familiarity or confidence in the effectiveness of a particular evidence-based therapy72

  • a Limited skills or competence to use a particular therapy72; Knowledge practice gaps77

  • Time, aclinical workload and other pressures41. Insufficient capacity for implementation38

  • Organizational resistance to change70,72,73; ainadequate peer support, organizational or institutional level support72,22,41

  • Lack of infrastructure, limited medical facilities to support evidence uptake72

a Patient needs, preferences and adherence to treatment when these interfere with evidence-based recommendations22,56,72

Notes: KT determinants are categorized by themes (technical, behavioural, organizational and contextual).

a

Field specific determinant.