title: Study protocol for a pilot study to explore the determinants of knowledge use in a medical education context.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While the science of knowledge translation (KT) has been growing steadily for the past decade in relation to understanding processes and actions which are embedded within clinical practice settings, little is known about how empirical knowledge is used within the medical education system. Despite an increase of research in this domain, we know very little about the contribution of this evidence in the development of medical students into effective physicians. This pilot study aims to: provide a synthesis of the evidence for educational strategies within medical education; explore the perceptions and experiences of faculty in undergraduate (UG) medical education in relation to their use of evidence in their educational practices; and illuminate how medical education evidence is formally integrated into a UG medical curriculum.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study will involve three phases. First, a scoping review of the medical education research literature will be undertaken to generate insight into the evidence available for curriculum development, teaching and assessment activities within this domain. Second, a content analysis of undergraduate courses at the University of Toronto will be undertaken to generate an additional insight into the extent that medical education research has been formally integrated into the UG curriculum for medical students at the University. Finally, a purposeful sample of 30-40 medical education leaders from a single large university, selected as it aims to deliver a rigorous research-oriented medical curriculum, will be interviewed to understand how they use the available evidence in their education practices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study will lay the grounds to generate initial data into the determinants of knowledge use in a medical education context. In doing so, the findings will also inform the development of a larger, pan-Canadian study at medical schools that will generate a comprehensive account of the processes and challenges related to KT within an educational context. This larger study will also begin to explore the relevance of the Knowledge-to-Action model to a medical education context.
authors.affiliation: Director, Center for Innovation in Interprofessional Healthcare Education, University of California, San Francisco and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Interprofessional Care, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA Director, Centre for Faculty Development and Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Education Research Associate, Centre for Faculty Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Education Research Associate, Centre for Faculty Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Canada Research Chair, Implementation of Shared Decision Making in Primary Care; Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine and Director, Knowledge Transfer and Health Technology Assessment Research Group, Research Center of Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada Vice President Education, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Vice-Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education and Professor of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Vice-President Education, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada and Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chair in Health Professions Education Research; Scientist, Wilson Centre for Research in Education; Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Senior Fellow, Massey College, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Professor, Medical Education and Director, Academic Research and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Faculty of Medicine, St. John's, NF, Canada Assistant Dean, Continuing Medical Education for Family Medicine and Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital; Assistan
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leslie
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Egan-Lee
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Légaré
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenfield
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hodges
authors.forename: Vernon
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Armson
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitto
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D019091:Critical Pathways; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D036262:Empirical Research; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010865:Pilot Projects