Knowledge translation in Kashan University of Medical Sciences; The views of faculty members

The gap between research and practice is one of the important challenges of the health system. A possible answer to this challenge is knowledge translation. This research was designed and conducted to assess the status of knowledge translation in Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2022.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 on a sample of 114 faculty members of Kashan University of Medical Sciences using convenience sampling. The research tool was the knowledge translation questionnaire, which was designed and validated by the knowledge translation committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS software and using one-sample t-tests, independent t-tests, analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U and repeated measurements.

The mean score of knowledge translation was 2.73±0.54 and each of the dimensions of audience needs assessment, knowledge production and knowledge application were 2.68±0.65, 2.82±0.59 and 2.67±0.57, respectively, which have a significant difference with the average limit of 3. »Knowledge application« dimension had the lowest and »Knowledge production« dimension had the highest average. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the overall average score of knowledge translation and each of its dimensions with department, work experience, executive position, education level and attending knowledge translation training workshops and the number of research projects of the studied faculty members.

The results show that the status of knowledge translation in Kashan University of Medical Sciences is lower than the average level and far from the desired level. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to facilitate the process of knowledge translation in the university and improve its conditions.