Intermediaries Promote the Use of Research Evidence in Children's Behavioral Health Systems Change [English and Spanish versions]

Abstract

Volume 10 Issue 4 2013 T he use of research to inform policy and practice has received enormous attention in behavioral health over the last decade. Federal agencies and service purchasers are increasingly demanding that interventions and the dollars that fund them be attached to a body of evidence demonstrating effectiveness with regard to desired outcomes. In this Issue Brief, we provide background on the use of research to inform policy and practice, describe the use of evidence in the context of Massachusetts-wide systems change in children's behavioral health services, and discuss the key role of intermediaries in facilitating knowledge exchange. Research or research evidence is defined as empirical findings derived from systematic analysis of information, guided by purposeful research questions and methods (Asen et al., 2011). Use of Research by Policymakers and Practitioners There is a small but growing body of literature focused on how policymakers and practitioners interact with researchers around the use of research findings. Earlier, more traditional models of research use suggest a linear, uni-directional approach where a producer, often in an academic setting, conducts and delivers research to a user, usually a policymaker or practitioner (Lavis et al., 2003). More recent models highlight the complexities surrounding the use of research evidence including the bi-directionality of the exchange of research knowledge (Tseng, 2012). Appropriate linkages between research and the users of research are necessary to properly facilitate the use of research in policy and practice. Researchers themselves may not be the best translators of their own work and may lack the communication and leadership skills required to bridge the research to policy and practice gap (Gold, 2009).