The use of academic research in public health policy and practice

This study sought to gain a better understanding of the ways in which users access academic research, by observing decision-making at the micro level in a public health unit (PHU) in Ontario, Canada. The overarching question guiding the study is as follows: how do PHU staff members access, engage with, and make use of academic research in order to advance their mandate? Ethnographic methods were used to collect data from direct observations and informant input, augmented by document review. A two-dimensional (2D) continuum of research use was adopted as an organizing heuristic. Research use was shown to be highly dynamic, spanning (spatially) across and transitioning (temporally) through both dimensions of the 2D organizing heuristic. While this research focuses on the context of use, it acknowledges interactions with the other contexts. This study suggests that users may have more 'agency' in the ways in which they engage with and use research. The full range of possibilities discussed is critical for accurately documenting the impacts of academic research. Findings should be relevant to other sectors where research use capacity is being developed. Copyright The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.