Knowledge translation during the Covid-19 pandemic

Knowledge Translation (KT) is a set of methods and approaches to transfer new knowledge to the practice of medicine, involving researchers, clinicians, managers, patients and policymakers. KT appears as a key topic in today’s healthcare system, which is under unprecedented pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has further underlined the relevance of KT in supporting different stakeholders to communicate more effectively to take actions against the virus, limiting its spreading, and supporting the resilience of healthcare systems worldwide. This chapter highlights the types of KT needed during the pandemic to strengthen the health system responses by involving different actors, mental models and tools that are needed to ensure the effective translation, transfer and sharing of knowledge. Our recommendations reflect the characteristics of COVID-19, existing evidence- and experience-informed practices in health system organization and emergent practices in response to COVID-19 globally.