How do third sector organisations use research and other knowledge? A systematic scoping review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Knowledge Mobilisation
• Third Sector Studies

Background:

• Third sector organisations (TSOs) are integral to UK healthcare provision.
• Understanding how TSOs utilize research and knowledge remains limited.
• This scoping review synthesizes current knowledge on TSO research utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize existing literature on how health and social care TSOs use research and other forms of knowledge.
• To identify preferred knowledge types and usage patterns within TSOs.
• To explore barriers and facilitators to research and knowledge mobilization in the third sector.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of electronic databases.
• Exploratory searching of knowledge mobilization websites.
• Narrative synthesis of findings from ten qualitative and mixed-methods studies.

Main Results:

• TSOs aspire to be evidence-informed, with organizational context influencing knowledge use.
• Barriers include time, staff skills, resources, and the acontextual nature of academic research.
• Benefits of research use include enhanced confidence in service quality, improved stakeholder negotiations, and resource efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Continued growth of TSOs necessitates a deeper understanding of their knowledge mobilization.
• Recommendations include fostering researcher-TSO relationships for research design.
• Utilizing diverse evaluation methods and complementary research approaches (e.g., realist review, ethnography) is advised.