Knowledge Brokering: The missing link in the evidence to action chain?

The importance of transferring healthcare research into policy and practice is widely acknowledged but so too is the complexity of doing so. Translating, transferring and implementing research is a messy and complex process and it is sometimes thought that neither healthcare professionals nor researchers are best placed to carry out these tasks. A frequently discussed alternative is the use of individuals or organizations to act as intermediaries or knowledge brokers. Positioned at the interface between research and practice, they are seen as the human force behind knowledge transfer. In their role as intermediaries these individuals and organizations perform a variety of functions including managing research and other information, facilitating linkage between parties and developing the skills of both researchers and practitioners. Using a range of research and ‘grey’ literature this paper explains the theory behind knowledge brokering, proposes three different models of brokering and explores the challenges of knowledge brokering. We suggest that clarifying these factors is a significant step towards planning well designed and rigorously evaluated brokering interventions which can help us to find out more about how brokering works, the factors that influence it and its effectiveness.