Developing definitions for a knowledge exchange intervention in health policy and program agencies: reflections on process and value

Abstract

The development of definitions is an integral part of the research process but is often poorly described. This paper details the iterative development of five definitions: Policy, Health policy-maker, Health policy agency, Policy documents, and Research findings. We describe the challenges of developing definitions in a large multidisciplinary team and the important methodological repercussions. We identify four factors that were most helpful in this process: (1) An emphasis on fit-for-purpose functionality, (2) Consultation with in-context experts, (3) Our willingness to amend terms as well as definitions, and to revisit some methods and goals as a consequence, and (4) Agreement that we would satisfice: accept ‘good enough’ solutions rather than struggle for optimality and consensus.

Keywords:

• definition
• policy
• policy-maker
• knowledge exchange
• research methods

Funding

This work was funded as part of the Centre for Informing Policy in Health with Evidence from Research (CIPHER) an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence [grant number APP1001436] and administered by the University of Western Sydney.

Notes

1. Some members of the research team argued that this point is poorly made given the (ironic) success of Alanis Morissette’s 1996 hit single in which she erroneously claims that events such as rain on one’s wedding day, dying soon after winning the lottery, and failure to take good advice are ironic. They are, of course, merely unfortunate.

2. We did identify problems with the instructions and additional criteria we gave about how to select the documents, but this was not an aspect of the definition and so is not discussed here.