title: Meeting physicians' needs: a bottom-up approach for improving the implementation of medical knowledge into practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple barriers to knowledge translation in medicine have been identified (ranging from information overload to abstraction of models), leading to important implementation gaps. This study aimed at assessing the suggestions of practicing physicians for possible improvements of knowledge translation (KT) effectiveness into clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a mixed methods design. French- German- and Italian-speaking general practitioners, psychiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, cardiologists, and diabetologists practicing in Switzerland were interrogated through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and an online survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 985 physicians from three regions of Switzerland participated in the online survey, whereas 39 participated in focus group discussions and 14 in face-to-face interviews. Physicians expressed limitations and difficulties related to KT into their daily practice. Several barriers were identified, including influence and pressure of pharmaceutical companies, non-publication of negative results, mismatch between guidelines and practice, education gaps, and insufficient collaboration between research and practice. Suggestions to overcome barriers were improving education concerning the evaluation of scientific publications, expanding applicability of guidelines, having free and easy access to independent journals, developing collaborations between research and practice, and creating tools to facilitate access to medical information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides suggestions for improving KT into daily medical practice, matching the views, needs and preferences of practicing physicians. Responding to suggestions for improvements brought up by physicians may lead to better knowledge translation, higher professional satisfaction, and better healthcare outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Evaluation Unit, Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), Lausanne University Hospital, Biopôle 2, Rte de la Corniche 10, CH-1010, Lausanne, Switzerland. carla.vaucher@chuv.ch.|Liaison Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. carla.vaucher@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaucher
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Evaluation Unit, Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), Lausanne University Hospital, Biopôle 2, Rte de la Corniche 10, CH-1010, Lausanne, Switzerland.|University of Health Sciences (HESAV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bovet
authors.affiliation: Austrian Federal Institute of Healthcare (ÖBIG), 1010, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bengough
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.|STS Lab, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pidoux
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grossen
authors.affiliation: University Institute of the History of Medicine and Public Health, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.|STS Lab, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Panese
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Evaluation Unit, Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), Lausanne University Hospital, Biopôle 2, Rte de la Corniche 10, CH-1010, Lausanne, Switzerland.|Cochrane Switzerland, Institute of Social & Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burnand
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005060:Europe; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000592:standards
keywords: Focus group discussions; Improvements; Interviews; Knowledge translation and implementation; Online survey; Physicians; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative methods