Grant: Operating Grant

This research will help us to understand how a Community of Practice (defined as a group of people who work together to identify innovations, translate evidence and help implement changes to improve care) creates and shares knowledge in ways that improve quality of healthcare and quality of life for seniors. The investigators will work with the leaders and members of Ontario's Seniors Health Research Transfer Network Collaborative, which is a network of networks that includes the Seniors Health Research Transfer Network Knowledge Exchange, the Alzheimer Knowledge Exchange and the Ontario Research Coalition. The collaborative facilitates the sharing of knowledge through a library service, knowledge brokers, local implementation teams, collaborative technology, and, most importantly, Communities of Practice (CoPs). The research will help us to understand the types of activities and organizations that are most successful at bringing new innovations to the frontlines of Canadian healthcare. Over a three year period, the investigators will focus on at least nine detailed case studies that demonstrate how important new research findings and best practices are identified, confirmed, and then shared with frontline caregivers. By studying these cases, the research team will learn how to support the development of these communities of practice, and what factors are needed to support the adoption of better caregiving practices. They will also gain a better understanding of the importance of having everybody who participates in the creation of new innovations (researchers, policy makers, caregivers and others) involved throughout the knowledge generation process.