Archive of NCDDR FOCUS Technical Briefs volumes
TECHNICAL BRIEF
The Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer: Success stories and resources for R&D Practitioners
Number 38
This FOCUS Technical Brief invites you to explore the materials and insights the Center on Knowledge Translation for Technology Transfer (KT4TT) has compiled from 2008–2013. We hope they help you to avoid the most common barriers and overcome the most perilous struggles along the Research and Development (R&D) path to successfully commercialize your sponsored project outputs. To that end, we describe the outputs from our own R&D projects.
2013 (October) / 8 pages
[On-line] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/focus38
[PDF 
486kb] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/focus38/Focus38.pdf
Lessons Learned in Technology Transfer from Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden and the Trace Research & Development Center
Number 37
This issue of FOCUS describes the exemplary technology transfer (TT) and knowledge translation (KT) work of the 2013 winner of the Center on KT4TT's Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award. The recipient is Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden and the Trace Research & Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
2013 (May) / 12 pages
[On-line] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/focus37/Focus37
[PDF 2.5 MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/focus37/Focus37.pdf
Infinity Communication Access Lab Recognized With 2012 Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award
Number 36
This issue of FOCUS describes the exemplary knowledge translation work of the winner of the Center on KT4TT's 2012 PUSH Award. The recipient, Infinity Communication Access Lab, is a partnership between Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Toronto District School Board in Toronto, Canada. The lab aims to discover person-centered access solutions and to ensure that those solutions are transferred into environments true to where children live and learn. Dr. Tom Chau oversees the lab, which serves 130 public school students with a range of developmental conditions.
2013 (January) / 8 pages
[On-line] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/focus36/
[PDF 870kb] https://ktdrr.org/focus36/Focus36.pdf
Modeling Technology Innovation: Combining Science, Engineering, and Industry Methods to Achieve Beneficial Socioeconomic Impacts Systematically and Deliberately
Number 35
This issue of FOCUS summarizes a paper recently published in the open-access journal, Implementation Science (Stone & Lane, 2012). The full paper presents a conceptual framework that integrates scientific research, engineering development, and industry production into a logic model format, which is useful for planning, obtaining, and measuring the impacts that result from implementing knowledge in practice (Lane & Flagg, 2010).
2012 (September) / 8 pages
[PDF 1.9 MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus35/Focus35.pdf
Tracking Evidence of Knowledge Use Through Knowledge Translation, Technology Transfer, and Commercial Transactions
Number 34
This issue of FOCUS extends ideas presented in No. 26, which considered the processes of knowledge translation (KT) and technology transfer (TT) in technological innovation. Here, we explain that both KT and TT contribute to accomplishing yet a third process—commercial transaction—which is the actual transformation of knowledge embodied in products and services into beneficial socioeconomic impacts. Planning, managing, and documenting the progression of knowledge use through the technological innovation pipeline culminates in an exchange of utility between the producers and consumers of knowledge through this market mechanism.
2012 (July) / 8 pages
[PDF 1.1 MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus34/Focus34.pdf
External Validity in Research on Rehabilitative
Interventions: Issues for Knowledge Translation
Number 33
This issue of FOCUS discusses external validity in rehabilitation research. A checklist of external validity items is provided to help researchers write research reports that include all the information practitioners need when they see a new or revised treatment described that they think of adopting. The reporting researcher should help them answer the question "How far can we generalize this finding - is it applicable to other clients/patients, with different characteristics, in dissimilar settings treated by other clinicians?" by providing detailed information on subjects, settings, interventions, treatments, etc. The checklist helps in complete reporting of the relevant information.
2011 (September) / 24 pages
[PDF 912kb] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus32/Focus33.pdf
Knowledge Value Mapping of National Organizations:
A Knowledge Translation Strategy to Efficiently
Communicate Research-Based Knowledge to Multiple
Stakeholder Audiences
Number 32
This issue of FOCUS describes the results from a series of comparative case studies exploring how selected national organizations, representing different stakeholder groups, can play an important role in communicating new research findings to diverse audiences. Knowledge value mapping helps understand the context of each organization's mission and the interests of their members.
2011 (September) / 12 pages
[PDF 790kb] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus32/Focus32.pdf
Do Cultural Competency Interventions Work? A Systematic Review on Improving Rehabilitation Outcomes for Ethnically and Linguistically Diverse Individuals with Disabilities
Number 31
This issue of FOCUS describes a systematic review that was conducted to address a critically important research question about cultural competency by taking stock of the current literature and evidence. The review examined whether cultural competency interventions improve rehabilitation outcomes for ethnically and linguistically diverse individuals with disabilities, and if so, for whom and under what conditions.
2011 (May) / 12 pages
[PDF 1MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus31/Focus31.pdf
KT4TT: Knowledge Translation Embedded in Technology Transfer
Number 30
This issue of FOCUS provides examples of how technology-focused grantees funded by NIDILRR, such as Small Business Innovation Research projects and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers, can embed knowledge translation (KT) efforts throughout the technology transfer (TT) process. This issue also describes the Product Utilization Support and Help (PUSH) Award in a broader context of knowledge translation.
2011 (January) / 8 pages
[PDF 1MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus30/Focus30.pdf
The Cochrane Collaboration: A Valuable Knowledge Translation Resource
Number 29
This issue of FOCUS provides a brief overview of The Cochrane Collaboration and highlights entities and resources of the Collaboration that can assist disability and rehabilitation researchers and knowledge users in their knowledge translation efforts. The Cochrane Collaboration has become the premier source worldwide of high-quality systematic reviews in health care and its efforts apply in many ways to disability and rehabilitation, particularly in the health and function domain.
2010 (November) / 12 pages
[PDF 1.4MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus29/Focus29.pdf
The Need to Knowledge Model: A Roadmap to Successful Outputs for NIDILRR Grantees
Number 28
This issue of FOCUS presents the Need to Knowledge (NtK) Model for new product development. The model was designed to encompass all activities from inception of a project through post-launch evaluation to paint a complete picture of the research, development, and production processes. This technical brief explains the details related to the model’s stages and gates, while also introducing four specific opportunities to employ knowledge translation techniques.
2010 (September) / 16 pages
[PDF 1.4MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus28/Focus28.pdf
Low-Cost and No-Cost Steps in Research Design to Improve the Quality of Evidence
Number 27
This FOCUS authored by Marcel P. J. M. Dijkers, PhD, offers low-cost and no-cost steps that rehabilitation researchers can take to strengthen the quality of their evidence and, thereby, the likelihood of their work receiving a high evidence grade and being included in systematic reviews.
2010 (August) / 20 pages
[PDF 3MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus27/Focus27.pdf
Facilitating Technology-Based Knowledge Utilization
Number 26
This FOCUS presents a framework for integrating two distinct processes: knowledge translation (KT) and technology transfer (TT). The integration permits stakeholders involved in technology-based research and development activities to identify and coordinate their respective roles, and to optimize the eventual use of research by industry for production purposes.
2010 (May) / 8 pages
[PDF 3MB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus26/Focus26.pdf
Mixed-Methods Systematic Reviews: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Findings
Number 25
This FOCUS, is adapted from Dr. Angela Harden's presentation at the "National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Knowledge Translation Conference," held July 29, 2009, in Washington, DC. Widely known for her methodological work integrating qualitative research into systematic reviews, she is an active contributor to the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations and has a keen interest in research synthesis and knowledge translation. She has conducted extensive research into the health of young people and the communities in which they live.
2010 (May) / 8 pages
[PDF 172 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus25/Focus25.pdf
Documenting Disparities in Obesity and Disability
Number 24
This FOCUS, presents NIDILRR-funded research highlighting the disparities in obesity experienced by youth and adults with disabilities, potential consequences of those disparities, and suggestions for addressing these disparities. Authors James H. Rimmer, PhD; Edward Wang, PhD; Kiyoshi Yamaki, PhD; and Brienne Davis, MPH conducted the research for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) "Reducing Obesity and Obesity-Related Secondary Conditions in Adolescents with Disabilities" (H133A060066), Center on Health Promotion for Persons with Disabilities, University of Illinois at Chicago.
2010 (March) / 16 pages
[PDF 760 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus24/Focus24.pdf
The Use of CIRRIE's Database of International Rehabilitation Research in Conducting Systematic Reviews
Number 23
This FOCUS, authored by CIRRIE's Marcia E. Daumen and Daniel J. Conley, describes the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange’s (CIRRIE) bibliographic database of International Rehabilitation Research. The database is useful for conducting systematic reviews. It includes research conducted in most geographic regions of the world as well as citations to articles originally published in languages other than English.
2009 (June) / 8 pages
[PDF 620 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus23/Focus23.pdf
The Role of Single-Subject Experimental Designs in Evidence-Based Practice Times
Number 22
This FOCUS, written by Ralf W. Schlosser, PhD, describes high quality single subject experimental designs (SSEDs) in terms of establishing empirically supported treatments and implementing evidence-based practice (EBP). The author also compares and contrasts SSEDs to n-of-1 randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
2009 (March) / 8 pages
[PDF 620 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus22/Focus22.pdf
Why Is Knowledge Translation Important?
Grounding the Conversation
Number 21
This FOCUS highlights Michael Gibbons's plenary speech on knowledge translation presented at the KT08: Forum for the Future conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada, held on June 10, 2008. Dr. Gibbons is the coauthor of The New Production of Knowledge and Re-Thinking Science.
2008 (November) / 10 pages
[PDF 112 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus21/Focus21.pdf
Campbell Collaboration Establishes Disability Subgroup
Number 20
This FOCUS, highlights exciting new developments within the international Campbell Collaboration (C2) establishing a disability subgroup. A previous issue of FOCUS (Technical Brief, No. 16, 2007) provides background information about C2 and its work regarding systematic reviews.
2008 (September) / 4 pages
[PDF 112 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus20/Focus20.pdf
Getting Published and Having an Impact: Turning Rehabilitation Research Results Into Gold
Number 19
This FOCUS, authored by Drs. Marcel Dijkers, Margaret Brown, and Wayne Gordon from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York, suggests strategies that rehabilitation researchers can use to maximize their work—turning "research results into gold." In the disability and rehabilitation research community, it is important for researchers to be cognizant of how published results of research studies can facilitate or limit their use in answering important evidence-based questions.
2008 (February) / 16 pages
[PDF 183 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus19/Focus19.pdf
Knowledge Translation at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: A Primer
Number 18
In this FOCUS, Jacqueline Tetroe describes the work of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and efforts to translate knowledge from the research setting into real-world applications for the benefit of Canadians.
2007 (December) / 16 pages
[PDF 256 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus18/Focus18.pdf
Appraising the Quality of Systematic Reviews
Number 17
This FOCUS, written by Ralf W. Schlosser, PhD, is part two of a three part series on systematic reviews. This issue describes critical considerations for appraising the quality of a systematic review including the protocol, question, sources, scope, selection principles, and data extraction. The author also describes tools for appraising systematic reviews.
2007 (June) / 8 pages
[PDF 120 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus17/Focus17.pdf
The Campbell Collaboration: Systematic Reviews and Implications for Evidence-Based Practice
Number 16
This FOCUS, written by Herb M. Turner III, PhD and Chad Nye, PhD, highlights the work of the Campbell Collaboration (C2) and the development of systematic reviews of research evidence.
2007 (January) / 6 pages
[PDF 120 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus16/Focus16.pdf
The Role of Systematic Reviews in Evidence-Based Practice, Research, and Development
Number 15
This FOCUS, written by Ralf W. Schlosser, PhD, is part one of a three part series on the topic of evidence-based technology. This issue provides an overview of systematic reviews in research and development. Systematic reviews aim to synthesize the results of multiple original studies by using strategies that delimit bias. Systematic reviews can be used to inform evidence-based practice, which is increasingly shaping the disability and rehabilitation research field.
2006 (December) / 4 pages
[PDF 112 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus15/Focus15.pdf
Overview of International Literature on Knowledge Translation
Number 14:
This issue of FOCUS summarizes the KT process as described by several international authors. International scholars, particularly from Canada and Europe, have published numerous articles on KT processes and strategies. While the majority of these KT articles are published in medical and health-care journals, there is a growing interest in applying the KT concept more generically (i.e., knowledge to action) and to other disciplines, including disability and rehabilitation research.
2006 (October) / 6 pages
[PDF 260 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus14/Focus14.pdf
Meet the New NCDDR
Number 13
This issue of FOCUS will describe how the impetus for NCDDR's reorganization relates to NIDILRR's new emphasis on knowledge translation. It will also outline several of the services the NCDDR will offer to NIDILRR grantees and, in some cases, to interested consumers.
2006 (August) / 4 pages
[PDF 260 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus13/Focus13.pdf
What Consumers and Researchers Say About Research
Number 12
The NCDDR and the Research Utilization Support and Help (RUSH) project at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory conducted two studies in 2005 with different audiences in order to learn more about their perceptions of research and how best to get information to diverse groups of end users. This issue of FOCUS shares the findings from the two studies and suggests potential implications.
2005 (December) / 4 pages
[PDF 260 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus12/Focus12.pdf
Communities of Practice: A Strategy for Sharing and Building Knowledge
Number 11
This issue of FOCUS discusses the use of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as a knowledge transfer (KT) strategy. CoPs are "groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis" (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). By building on its members' shared knowledge, a CoP can be useful in developing new ideas and new strategies. The NCDDR's efforts to support a CoP for NIDILRR grantees are also described.
2005 (November) / 4 pages
[PDF 260 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus11/Focus11.pdf
What is Knowledge Translation?
Number 10
This issue of FOCUS discusses knowledge translation, a relatively new term that is used to describe a relatively old problem-the underutilization of evidence-based research in systems of care. This article describes relevant KT concepts, KT planning models, and suggests a working definition for KT that is designed to reflect NIDILRR's research and development priorities.
2005 (July) / 4 pages
[PDF 183 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus10/Focus10.pdf
What Are the Standards for Quality Research?
Number 9
This issue of FOCUS discusses principles and standards for quality research, the basis for these standards, and strategies for reporting quality research. In the fields of disability and rehabilitation research, there is a healthy debate regarding the specific criteria for quality research, and the specific checklists to be used to standardize reporting. As the debate ensues, there are many ideas emerging in the public domain related to quality research and quality evidence that can be used to help guide the discussion.
2005 (June) / 4 pages
[PDF 183 KB] https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus9/Focus9.pdf