Knowledge Translation and contemporary challenges in the health field: a scope review

Abstract

The implementation of the best scientific evidence in health services has not yet occurred satisfactorily. Faced with this problem, the objective of this study was to investigate the challenges of translating knowledge in the health area today. The methodology of this review was developed in accordance with the purposes of the scope review. To do so, the keywords translational medical research and knowledge translation were consulted in the Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science journals databases. We included studies published from the year 2008 to April 2018. Of the 1677 studies found, 839 articles were duplicates and 808 did not fully meet the objective of this review, so 20 studies were submitted to the assessment of this scope. According to the analysis of the studies, the challenge of translating knowledge comes mainly from the lack of cohesion between the scientific community and health decision makers. Another important factor is the inability of professionals to translate and apply new knowledge, besides the omission of support and incentives from health institutions. Moreover, this review addresses a significant body of several other aspects that limit and / or hamper the translation of health area knowledge.