AEM Call for Papers

CAEP Administration

CJEM 2006;8(5):354

Knowledge Translation and Emergency Medicine: Closing the Gap Between Research and Practice

The 2007 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on Knowledge Translation in Emergency Medicine will be held on May 15, 2007, immediately preceding the SAEM Annual Meeting in Chicago. Original papers, if accepted, will be published together with the conference proceedings in the November 2007 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine. Knowledge Translation (KT) describes any activity or process that facilitates the transfer of high-quality evidence from research into effective changes in health policy, practice or products. KT attempts to conceptually combine elements of research, education, quality improvement and electronic systems development to create a seamless linkage between interventions that improve patient care and their routine implementation in daily clinical practice. KT research may pertain to any and all aspects of this endeavour. Examples of research topics that would qualify under this category include:

• Investigations of attitudes toward the use of decision rules or practice guidelines.
• Studies of effectiveness of decision support systems in increasing utilization of target interventions.
• Studies of the effectiveness of educational/CPD (Continuing Professional Development) interventions in changing practitioner behaviour.
• Papers in the health care policy arena that describe and measure the impact of approaches for closing the research to practice gap.
• Research that examines the effect of evidence uptake interventions on patient outcomes.
• Papers that discuss and contribute to the methodology of KT related investigations as well as its conceptual framework.

The conference will be designed and conducted to reach consensus on:

• A research agenda in Knowledge Translation based on an exploration of the most important gaps that currently exist between research and practice in Emergency Medicine.
• Recommendations that will advance the KT agenda

Original contributions describing relevant research or concepts in this topic will be considered for publication in the November 2007 special topics issue of AEM if received by Wednesday, March 1, 2007. All submissions will undergo peer review, and publication cannot be guaranteed. For queries, please contact Dr. Eddy S. Lang, Consensus Conference Coordinator; eddy.lang@mcgill.ca, 514 340-8222 x5568, or Dr. Richard Sinert, AEM Editor for the special issue; Richard.Sinert@Downstate.edu, or consult the SAEM Newsletter and the AEM and SAEM Web sites.