Foreword
Whether in their own academic workplaces or in interactions with policy makers and managers, increasingly researchers are called upon to show the value of their work for informing policy and management decision-making. The primary objective of the Mythbusters Teaching Resource is to help instructors of graduate-level courses teach students how to write easy-to-read research summaries for policy makers, planners, managers and providers. This resource also introduces the activities of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the connection between policy, management and research evidence, particularly the concept of using research evidence to inform management and policy decisions in the health services arena. With this said, the authors anticipate that instructors will use this resource to design a curriculum module to suit their goals and their students' needs.
Why?
Research evidence is one important consideration in the decision-making process. By improving the way research evidence is presented, researchers increase the chances of having their research inform policy and management decision-making. Since the results of individual research studies are generally insufficient on their own to directly determine a decision or course of action, research summaries offer a way to pull together main messages from a number of published sources in a conversational way that policy makers, managers and others can appreciate.
What?
This teaching resource features CHSRF’s flagship summary product, Mythbusters, which uses research evidence to debunk accepted wisdom in popular Canadian healthcare debates. The resource was developed primarily through consultations with key informants, who felt this resource should be web-based (easily accessible), flexible (may be used in a variety of ways), and evolving (will include new materials as necessary). The Mythbusters Teaching Resource is intended for instructors of graduate-level coursework in a variety of fields — from applied health services research to epidemiology to nursing to health policy and beyond. Instructors may try a full-scale Mythbuster assignment (including all six components) or focus on a few steps.
Assumptions
The authors have made a number of assumptions about the skill sets of students who will use this resource. First, we expect that students have some understanding of how to conduct a literature search. Second, we expect that students have some familiarity with how to critically appraise research evidence. Third, we assume that students know how to write clearly. And fourth, we assume that students have some understanding of the three models of knowledge transfer: producer push, user pull and exchange. Of course, if students need to further develop their research, critical appraisal or written communication skills and/or their understanding of knowledge transfer theory, creating a Mythbusters research summary is an excellent way for instructors to integrate learning in all of these areas.
We hope you find this teaching resource useful.
Acknowledgements
The Mythbusters Teaching Resource was compiled by Jennifer Thornhill and Dave Clements and published only after expert review. The authors would like to acknowledge the support and efforts of colleagues who made this resource possible, especially Cynthia Cheponis, Jasmine Neeson, Rebecca Overall and Kelly Ripley. The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) would especially like to thank our key informants and expert reviewers for their time and dedication in reviewing this teaching resource.
The key informants and expert reviewers are:
Yukiko Asada, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Stephanie Buckingham, Malaspina University College, Nanaimo, British Columbia
Alan Cassels, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Alba DiCenso, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
John Lavis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Pat Martens, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lynn McCleary, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario
Sam Sheps, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
Sam Shortt, Canadian Medical Association, Ottawa, Ontario
Vianne Timmons, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island