Suzanne Guerin PhD is Associate Professor in Research Design & Analysis and Head of School at the UCD School of Psychology. Her main research activity lies in the broad area of health services research, with a specific focus on palliative care and intellectual disability.

She is particularly interested in collaborative research that meets the needs of service organisations and holds research roles in St Michael’s House Disability Services and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice. She is a Vice Chair of the All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care palliative Care Research Network.

ABSTRACT

Title: Promoting Research Impact in Palliative and End of Life Care through Effective Knowledge Transfer & Exchange

Summary: The aim of this presentation is to reflect on the challenges of ensuring that research in palliative and end of life care is positioned to influence policy and practice, recognising current views on the concept of the research-practice gap. Implementation science considers the process of ensuring that policy and practice is informed by research knowledge, with knowledge transfer and exchange serving as an umbrella term that represents multiple activities of dissemination and communication.

The presentation will introduce and describe EMTReK, the evidence-based model for the transfer and exchange of research knowledge, which has been developed and applied in the context of research on palliative and end of life care. EMTReK provides researchers with a model for reflecting on and planning activities that can support the process of dissemination and communication, positing research to more effectively inform practice.