The Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Knowledge Translation Tool about Pediatric Concussion

• Author / Creator

  Campbell, Alyson L

• Background: Pediatric concussion is a common, yet complex injury caused by a direct or indirect blow to the head. Pediatric concussion places considerable burdens on children, families, and the healthcare system. To minimize this burden, it is essential that patients and families are connected to evidence-based child health information. Despite the plethora of educational resources available about pediatric concussion, uncertainty in how to manage them prevails, particularly among families, and knowing which resources are relevant and accurate is often unclear. This suggests an urgent need for evidence-based strategies that align what is known from research with what is done in health care practice, referred to as knowledge translation strategies. Actively involving patients and families in health care has the potential to optimize knowledge translation. Research indicates that patients and families look for health information online, thus; digital knowledge translation tools are a promising approach to provide complex, child health information. Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the information needs and preferences of children who have experienced a concussion and their parents and use these data to develop and evaluate a novel, innovative knowledge translation tool about pediatric concussion. Methods: This dissertation is a multi-phase, multi-method project consisting of four phases and three related papers: (1) an environmental scan to identify and describe Canadian-developed, publicly available Internet resources and Apps about pediatric concussion, (2) a qualitative description study on the experiences, information needs and preferences of children who have experienced a concussion and their parents, and (3) the development and evaluation of a novel, digital knowledge translation tool (interactive infographic) about pediatric concussion. Findings and Conclusions: This dissertation addressed current knowledge gaps in pediatric concussion education tools and actively involved children and parents in the development and evaluation of a digital knowledge translation (KT) tool about pediatric concussion. Results of this research have widespread applications in three key areas. First, the current state of Canadian-developed resources for pediatric concussion found on the Internet and in Apps is described. In paper one, an environmental scan of 600 websites and 200 Apps was conducted. Sixty-seven resources (64 Internet, 3 Apps) met the inclusion criteria. Information gaps in relation to the content, format and target audience of these resources was identified. Most significantly, this scan determined that few resources targeted children and were most commonly available in PDF format. Recommendations for the future development of pediatric concussion resources are provided. Second, this research informed the development of a novel, digital knowledge translation tool (an interactive infographic), about pediatric concussion through integrated knowledge translation methods. In paper two, a qualitative description study interviewing children who have had a concussion, and their parents, was conducted. Four major themes were identified from these interviews: 1) mechanism of injury and concussion symptoms experienced by children, 2) parent concerns, emotions, and health care experience with child’s concussion, 3) concussions affect more than just your head and, 4) health information seeking, and preferences of parents and children related to concussion. Overall, this study demonstrated that children and their parents have unique experiences, information needs and preferences regarding concussion. Third, knowledge translation science was enhanced in terms of the development and testing of a novel, knowledge translation intervention (interactive infographic) for children and parents and building KT research capacity through collaborations with patients, families, and key stakeholders. Paper three describes the development of the interactive infographic, and our findings suggest this infographic was viewed positively by parents and significantly improved parents self-reported confidence in their knowledge of pediatric concussions. The findings of this research make substantial contributions to pediatric concussion research, knowledge translation intervention development and evaluation and patient engagement in research.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • knowledge translation
  • pediatric concussion
  • environmental scan
  • qualitative description
  • patient engagement
  • usability testing

• Graduation date

  Fall 2021

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-h1a4-yx17

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.