Mind invests substantial resources into knowledge translation to ensure insights generated from our research activities are translated into practice improvement. It is well recognised that there is a big-time lag between research evidence being generated and that evidence being used in service practice. Research estimates this gap between research and practice to be 17 years [1].
To reduce this gap, Mind’s research team engages in routine knowledge sharing through several key activities:
Providing services with real-time service user outcomes – this enables service managers to track outcomes for their service/s and identify areas for practice improvement regularly. The reports also build a culture of data driven decision making at Mind and within the mental health service sector.
Producing regular in-depth evaluation reports of service user outcomes – enables Mind to identify the impact of services on client outcomes. The reports generate meaningful insights about whether services are equally effective for different cohorts of service users, considering gender and age, for example.
Hosting mini-conferences to share research insights and learn from experts – enables the sharing of research and best practice knowledge throughout Mind and to other key stakeholders in the mental health service sector in Australia. Mind’s mini conferences are designed to share key insights from our research, including areas for improvement, and learn from experts about how we can improve outcomes for service users. To learn more about our first PARC/SUSD mini conference you can read this article.
Sharing our research through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications - enables Mind to share the innovative work being done in service delivery and research with a range of audiences. Over the past few years, Mind have presented at a range of conferences, including The Mental Health Services (TheMHS) conference, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, National Suicide Prevention Conference and The Equally Well Symposium. Mind have also published in peer-reviewed journals including, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing and Health & Social Care in the Community.
To read conference abstracts and peer-reviewed publications by Mind over the last few years please see our repository below.
[1] Jonathan Grant, Liz Green, Barbara Mason, Basic research and health: a reassessment of the scientific basis for the support of biomedical science, Research Evaluation, Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2003, Pages 217–224, https://doi.org/10.3152/147154403781776618