Table 6 Factors influencing CRCs’ knowledge translation activities

Context/Inner setting

Organisational barriers

Lack of time (for instance, CRC have not enough time to accompany practices changes)

"…The change can be very, very long and then the researcher doesn't necessarily have the time to do it. We certainly don't have the

time to do that and then neither do the clinical teams…It takes a learning curve." (# CRC 1)

"One issue I've been dealing with recently. A researcher proposed

in her research project to have a training component, at least a workshop, at the end (…) [She] wanted to integrate this into a program meeting for clinicians who would have participated in the research,

and then we came up against the manager who said, 'well, no, I don't have the time to integrate this into my program meetings'. So, it's not that the researchers are unwilling. Sometimes it's even how it fits in, when it's super relevant but they just don't have time to fit a 2-h training into a meeting that lasts an hour sometimes." (# CRC 6)

Lack of human and informational resources (for instance infrastructure, access to technology, lack of clinical staff for KT activities)

"Neither CRC nor large research centre are structured to package or disseminate validated practice or assessment tools developed by researchers." (# CRC 2)

"The situation that I have however in the programs it's not about the money necessarily. You know, like Participant 3 says, there is

interest, there is motivation, we are supported by the managers,

but there is 50% of the staff that is missing. You know, the clinical teams, they can't give more than not for recruitment, for knowledge transfer, for presentations, they just can't, they don't have the

resources anymore." (# CRC 1)

Lack of clarity on CRCs' mandates

i. Researchers do not know the role of CRC, which is perceived as an administrator and an obstacle, it is not really clear for them the brokering role

ii. Great variability in CRCs’ roles according to the reality of health regions and large research centre

iii. Confusion on their roles and no common vision of CRCs’ roles between large research centre, clinicians

"I was seen as an interposing person and I explained that … is

asking for this, it is the clinical environment., but before, I

was going to see the occupational therapists, I was going to see

the physiotherapists, I was asking them for this, I was asking them

for that". And now I said no, the requests must be centralized

to the managers and it goes through a CRC…But, the reality is

really that it's not a requirement of our boss (…) It's really the

clinical settings." (# CRC 4)

"Anything called knowledge mobilization, going into programs

and integrating and fostering practice change, I speak for [me], there, I don't see it as being in my role definition." (# CRC 7)

"The closer we get to appropriation and then to changing practices,

the more our mandate becomes blurred precisely because of the

links with the DMS, the DSI, the DSP and the CIUSSS…" (# CRC 8)

"I also find that researchers within large research centre believe that we are people who block things and then don't do much or understand anything. But I think that they don't really know

what our role is (…) which may also create frustrations because they have the impression that our role is just

to block projects or to protect programs too much…

No one has a common vision for CRCs [The large research

centre] has its vision, we have our own vision for our role, the researchers have another, and the clinicians have another one." (≠ CRC 3)

Duality between the managers’ involvement in research and their challenges to respond to the ministerial requirements about performance indicators

"Then within management, people always have good will, have lots of ideas, …. but they also have their own constraints that come down from the department or whatever so it's not quite realistic to integrate that into their reality…" (# CRC 9)

"We were talking about organization that has changed in the last few years, all of that, I'm not sure that it's returned for example in the research culture, this so important reality of streamlining time and context, the degree of freedom of clinicians that has reduced, I'm not sure that all researchers have realized that…" (# CRC 4)

"Then we often have several realities in silos because large research centre, it's not that well known. In any case, in my field, among clinicians, if I asked people what large research centre is, I'm sure I'd get all sorts of answers, including huh? What is it? and I can't blame them. It's normal, it's not their day-to-day." (# CRC 9)

Cultural differences between the rehabilitation institutions and the large research centre (e.g. lack of common language, different agenda)

Organisational enablers

Fertile ground for a culture of research and scientific thinking among university graduates where they need to support the excellence required by accreditation process and encourage the evidence-based practices (e.g. Access to other institutes and expertise within healthcare institutions; alignment with the strategic direction; to be a team with more than one CRC to exchange ideas and maximize expertise (on same site), organization of work is facilitating.)

"I've worked in several other places, there is an interest from the clinical settings. There's a research culture. … people come out of university, they've been exposed to a high level of scientific thinking and they want to keep that, so that, for me, is really in terms of knowledge transfer, it's a hyper fertile ground. That doesn't mean that everything is facilitated around that but that, I think, is a great, great lever." (# CRC 4)

"It is facilitating to have strategic directions with targets and indicators which give an intentionality to KT." (# CRC 2)

"I find that we really have the support of management of rehabilitation and in research. They are motivated… they spend time in meetings with us to see how we can improve the activities we do in research to listen to us, to hear what we have to say and then I think that the fact that they are motivated… it's a factor really, at least for me I find it a factor that is super helpful in what we do." (# CRC 3)

Supportive management from clinical programs the large research centre (e.g. Motivated managers who listen; managers with a high interest and a scientific literacy)

Availability of resources (e.g. budget for clinicians’ release and coverage of their time to participate in research or develop posters; administrative support)

Context/Outer setting

Organisational enablers

Specific structure of the large research centre (e.g. Consortium of several healthcare institutions with the easy access to researchers and knowledge from elsewhere; networking with other CRCs)

"She [the KT resource person at large research centre] was pushing us to try to promote certain projects for example, every project and new initiative should present… It's true because the large research centre gives money, there is an obligation to present at the end." (# CRC 8)

"I think it's also a plus to hear a little bit about everyone's reality. We have the same challenges, I would say, we don't have the same organization, but to see the successes from elsewhere, I find that very, very inspiring. Sometimes, the projects that you say, I say to myself -ah how could that inspire me? Maybe not that project but something else, I find that really fun." (# CRC 4)

"Our re-networking through large research centre to say that we have access to researchers and knowledge that is collected in other centers, it's a multiplier then…" (# CRC 7)

"There is something that I find that is a great facilitator and it's not always done is when the researcher plans for knowledge transfer money in their application for funds, that they plan that at the end, they will be able to give trainings, to package a guide of something…when they do that, it's a great facilitator." (# CRC 4)

"Another positive point that I wanted to bring was the proximity of some researchers physically on site. That is a great advantage. …people have the desire to go and hear about (researcher) because they see her, they know that he/she is on the site. I think that there is an advantage in that people really take the time to come to the site, that their students come, I think that this is a lever for knowledge transfer." (# CRC 4)