https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6707-5555
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ABSTRACT
The literature on transfer, mobilization, and appropriation of knowledge produced in universities and public research centers yielded results allowing a better understanding of benefits, obstacles, and determining channels of such processes. Emphasis has been on differences between agents, researchers, and institutions, instead of trying to understand epistemic practices that affect Knowledge Mobilization (KMb). Our key question is: what type of obstacles are presented in KMb generated by Mexican researchers at the National Health System of Mexico when focused on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM)? We analyzed obstacles in the mobilization of knowledge generated by Mexican T2DM researchers focused at the National Health System of Mexico. We critically discuss the KMb literature, evaluate its qualitative methodology, and offer a case study with researchers in T2DM from the National Health System of Mexico. Finally, we discuss the findings and approaches from the theory in a series of recommendations to address the problem.
RESUMO
A literatura sobre transferência, mobilização e apropriação de conhecimento produzida em universidades e centros públicos de pesquisa produziu resultados que permitem compreender melhor os benefícios, obstáculos e canais determinantes desses processos. A ênfase tem sido colocada nas diferenças entre agentes, pesquisadores e instituições, em vez de tentar compreender as práticas epistêmicas que afetam a Mobilização do Conhecimento (MC). Nossa questão principal é: que tipo de obstáculos são apresentados nos MC gerados por pesquisadores mexicanos com foco no Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) no Sistema Nacional de Saúde Mexicano? Analisamos os obstáculos na mobilização do conhecimento gerado por pesquisadores mexicanos especializados em DM2 do Sistema Nacional de Saúde Mexicano. Discutimos criticamente a literatura sobre MC, avaliamos sua metodologia qualitativa e oferecemos um estudo de caso com pesquisadores de DM2 do Sistema Nacional de Saúde Mexicano. Finalmente, discutimos as descobertas e abordagens da teoria em uma série de recomendações para resolver o problema.
RESUMEN
La literatura sobre transferencia, movilización y apropiación de conocimientos producida en universidades y centros públicos de investigación arrojó resultados que permiten comprender mejor los beneficios, obstáculos y canales determinantes de dichos procesos. Se ha puesto énfasis en las diferencias entre agentes, investigadores e instituciones, en lugar de intentar comprender las prácticas epistémicas que afectan la Movilización del Conocimiento (MC). Nuestra pregunta clave es: ¿qué tipo de obstáculos se presentan en la MC generados por investigadores mexicanos enfocan en la Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) del Sistema Nacional de Salud de México? Analizamos los obstáculos en la movilización del conocimiento generado por investigadores mexicanos especializados en DM2 del Sistema Nacional de Salud de México. Discutimos críticamente la literatura sobre MC, evaluamos su metodología cualitativa y ofrecemos un estudio de caso con investigadores en DM2 del Sistema Nacional de Salud de México. Finalmente, discutimos los hallazgos y enfoques de la teoría en una serie de recomendaciones para abordar el problema.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 The search process for the construction of the set of documents analyzed (articles, book chapters, and books) began with the exploration of keywords contained in their titles. The exploration was carried out through the Web of Science platform, where the NEAR Boolean operator was used to restrict the search for articles whose titles had the words "mobilization" and “knowledge” (in English and Spanish). Subsequently, once the summary was analyzed, the documents and studies that referred to the health sector were selected. The need for this operator was due to the fact that the first searches carried out on the platform without it returned a large number of unreliable results (around 500 articles), which showed a universe of article titles that contained the words in question, but they did not make explicit reference to a discussion on the subject and the health sector.
2 The benefits of applying a case study are the use of techniques such as participant observation and interviews, which favor the obtaining of particular data, life experiences, perspectives focused on the profile of the interviewees, positions, and personal reflections. The above feeds each of the phases that are the foundation of the research design.
3 The classification of DM can be established based on its origin and characteristics, among which are type 1 and type 2 diabetes, these being the most common. Type 1 DM was previously recognized as juvenile diabetes because it can commonly present during childhood and adolescence, “it is defined as an autoimmune disease with progressive destruction of β cells, resulting in a physiologic dependence on exogenous insulin” (Chiang et al. Citation2014, 2034).
4 Data obtained from the CONACYT official website database. Elaboration on Excel and Power BI.
5 The interview “is a method of unique sensitivity and power to capture the lived experiences and meanings of the everyday world of the subjects” (Kvale Citation2011, 34). Thus, this resource builds a dialogue to understand and interpret the way in which an actor is part of a context, how he lives it and how he interacts with other actors.
6 Glaser and Strauss defined Grounded Theory as an “inductive approach in which immersion in data serves as a starting point for the development of a theory about a phenomenon” (Guillemette 2006). It tends “to generalize in the direction of theoretical ideas, emphasizing the development of theories more than the proof of a theory” (Hunt and Ropo Citation1995, cited by Páramo Morales Citation2015). Grounded theory requires identifying theoretical categories that are derived from data by using a constant comparative method (Glaser and Strauss Citation1967; Hammersley Citation1989), resorting to the theoretical sensitivity of the researcher. This requires the researcher to compare the contents of various interview or observation episodes with the emerging theoretical concepts of the effort to identify the fundamental themes (Wells Citation1995; Barnes Citation1996, cited by Páramo Morales Citation2015).
7 The HU is subdivided, in turn, into various tools, which are the main components of the program, and that categorize the data according to the researcher’s needs. This subdivision follows an organic development derived from a component of the previous one, it also follows the codification and subsequent analysis of the key elements of the investigation, ranging from "isolated" concepts to complex families.
8 The types of citations that can be used in ATLAS.ti, this according to the six primary document formats that the software supports (since, as mentioned before, the textual format is the most used, and the one of particular interest in this case, but it is not the only one that can be used). Thus, citations can be: Textual: the only ones that offer enough “syntactic clues” to make a frequency search possible within the data. Graphics: corresponds to “a rectangular region within a primary graphic document.” PDF: they can be textual and graphic, and have a special encoding. Audiovisuals: selected from a timeline, their duration may not last more than a few milliseconds. GE: citations corresponding to georeferences obtained from GoogleEarth.
9 Categories can be developed in advance or derived ad hoc during the analysis; they can be taken from theory or vernacular knowledge, as well as from the interviewees’ own language. Categorizing research interviews can provide an overview of large numbers of transcripts and facilitate comparisons and hypothesis testing (Kvale Citation2011, 139).
10 The use of codes in advance of the creation of the researcher’s own categories is due to the very nature of the code: the capture of a particular but not exclusive meaning that can also serve – in a rather technical sense – to facilitate the search for the citations classified within the code in the event that the information contained – in turn – in said citations is not easy to locate using basic search techniques within a text (Friese Citation2014, 18).
11 Kvale explains that categorization, by providing a systematization of key concepts, is more likely to be quantified with greater meaning, unlike coding. In addition to grouping the codes related to a particular research question, hypothesis, construct or theme, and facilitating their location within the text, the display of information through categorization begins to lay the foundations for the consequent drawing of conclusions or representation of results (Fernández Núñez Citation2006, 4).
12 Depending on their composition, the families can be of primary documents, codes, and even notes that have been made during the analysis (Muñoz Justicia and Sahagún Padilla Citation2017, 55–56). While the codes and annotations can be classified according to their characteristics or even the section in which they are found (in the case of notes), the families of primary documents can be grouped according to the methodology used, the tools or techniques used, the particular case, and even the type of primary document.
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Notes on contributors
Juan Carlos García-Cruz
Juan Carlos García Cruz Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science. Researcher for Mexico in the CONACYT program. Member of the National System of Researchers. Professor in the Department of Economic Production at UAM-X. His main research interests are innovation, knowledge mobilization, national health systems, and social appropriation of knowledge.
J. Alexandre Oliveira Vera-Cruz
Alexandre Oliveira Vera-Cruz Researcher at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (Xochimilco Unit). Member of the National System of Researchers in the Area of Social Sciences, and regular member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. He currently coordinates the collective research project, funded by the CONACYT: “Transfer of Knowledge oriented toward national health problems: The case of Diabetes”