Rethinking the translation and dissmenination paradigm : Recommendations from science communication research for health services policy debates

Experts across a variety of fields tend to believe that the gap between expert knowledge and policymaker knowledge and decision-making results from a lack of understanding of the technical nature of problems and their proposed solutions.1,2 In response, health services researchers and their peers across other fields have engaged in translation and dissemination activities that involve a wide variety communication platforms such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, online video, open-access journals, and other interactive tools. Yet, research from the fields of science communication, policy studies, and political communication suggests that a narrow focus on these tactics comes at the expense of a broader set of strategies that are likely to be more consequential for improving societal decisions about health services–related issues. Drawing on research from these fields, this paper provides an overview of current challenges to the traditional translation and dissemination paradigm and offers three alternative strategies for effective communication of expert knowledge in the field of health services research.