How the study of networks informs knowledge translation and implementation: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Health Services Research
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• Implementation science traditionally focuses on individual/organizational barriers to knowledge translation (KT).
• Social network analysis (SNA) offers a network lens to understand how relationships influence research use and intervention acceptability among health professionals.
• Existing research has not comprehensively mapped SNA's application in studying health professional networks for KT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively map the methodologies of social network analysis (SNA) applied to the study of knowledge translation (KT) within health professional networks.
• To identify common network properties, theoretical frameworks, and study designs used in SNA research for KT.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review methodology was employed.
• Searched five academic databases for primary research utilizing quantitative SNA methods in KT.
• Included screening, data extraction on study characteristics, and descriptive/chronological analysis.

Main Results:

• Twenty-seven articles were retained, detailing 19 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies.
• Commonly reported network properties included degree centrality, tie characteristics (homophily, reciprocity), and network density.
• Studies primarily focused on physician-only or interprofessional networks, with diffusion of innovation and social influence theories being most applied.

Conclusions:

• There is growing interest in applying SNA to KT and implementation research.
• Current SNA research for KT predominantly focuses on individual-level decision-making; expansion to meso/macro levels is recommended.
• Future SNA research should broaden professional scope, analyze network dynamics over time, deepen structural analysis, and utilize mixed methods for robust findings.