Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap

Urquhart, R.; Grunfeld, E.; Jackson, L.; Sargeant, J.; Porter, G.A.

doi:10.3747/co.20.1487

Open AccessArticle

Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap

by

R. Urquhart

^1,*,

E. Grunfeld

²,

L. Jackson

³,

J. Sargeant

⁴ and

G.A. Porter

⁵

¹

Department of Surgery, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and Division of Medical Education, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

²

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

³

School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University; and Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

⁴

Continuing Medical Education, Dalhousie University; and Division of Medical Education, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

⁵

Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University; and Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20(6), 512-521; https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1487

Submission received: 11 September 2013 / Revised: 10 October 2013 / Accepted: 5 November 2013 / Published: 1 December 2013

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Abstract

Health services researchers have consistently identified a gap between what is identified as “best practice” and what actually happens in clinical care. Despite nearly two decades of a growing evidence-based practice movement, narrowing the knowledge–practice gap continues to be a slow, complex, and poorly understood process. Here, we contend that cross-disciplinary research is increasingly relevant and important to reducing that gap, particularly research that encompasses the notion of transdisciplinarity, wherein multiple academic disciplines and non-academic individuals and groups are integrated into the research process. The assimilation of diverse perspectives, research approaches, and types of knowledge is potentially effective in helping research teams tackle real-world patient care issues, create more practice-based evidence, and translate the results to clinical and community care settings. The goals of this paper are to present and discuss cross-disciplinary approaches to health research and to provide two examples of how engaging in such research may optimize the use of research in cancer care.

Keywords: knowledge translation; evidence-based practice; cross-disciplinary research; cancer

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MDPI and ACS Style

Urquhart, R.; Grunfeld, E.; Jackson, L.; Sargeant, J.; Porter, G.A. Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap. Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20, 512-521. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1487

AMA Style

Urquhart R, Grunfeld E, Jackson L, Sargeant J, Porter GA. Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap. Current Oncology. 2013; 20(6):512-521. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1487

Chicago/Turabian Style

Urquhart, R., E. Grunfeld, L. Jackson, J. Sargeant, and G.A. Porter. 2013. "Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap" Current Oncology 20, no. 6: 512-521. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1487

APA Style

Urquhart, R., Grunfeld, E., Jackson, L., Sargeant, J., & Porter, G. A. (2013). Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap. Current Oncology, 20(6), 512-521. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1487

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Cross-Disciplinary Research in Cancer: An Opportunity to Narrow the Knowledge–Practice Gap

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