Using Integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) as a Framework for Indigenous Health Promotion

For my health promotion topic focused on improving access to specialist care for Indigenous children with ear and hearing conditions in rural and remote (Treaty 8) communities, I intend to use Integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) as my guiding knowledge translation approach.

iKT is a KT approach that emphasizes the meaningful involvement of knowledge users throughout the research and implementation process, rather than only at the end. Knowledge translation itself is described as a dynamic and iterative process involving the synthesis, dissemination, exchange, and application of knowledge within complex systems that include both researchers and knowledge users (Paterson et al., 2018). iKT builds on this by positioning knowledge users as active partners in shaping the work.

This approach is particularly appropriate for my topic because the “know-do gap” in this context is not simply about a lack of evidence, but rather a misalignment between evidence, healthcare system structures, and community realities. An iKT approach supports ongoing collaboration with Indigenous community members, caregivers, and local providers, ensuring that any intervention is grounded in lived experience and community priorities.

iKT also supports trust and relationship-building, which is essential given the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization within healthcare systems. By engaging knowledge users throughout the process, rather than introducing solutions after they are developed, iKT helps to reduce the risk of implementing interventions that are misaligned or culturally unsafe.

Overall, iKT provides a practical and appropriate framework for this work, as it emphasizes co-creation, contextual relevance, and shared ownership of both the process and outcomes. These principles are critical for developing sustainable and meaningful improvements in access to care for Indigenous communities (Khanal et al., 2025).

References

Khanal, V., Saurman, E., Russell, D. J., Newton, N., Coombes, K., Puruntatameri, A., Norris, S., von Huben, A., Cockyane, T., Burgess, P., Wakerman, J., & Shaw, T. (2025). Optimizing digital solutions to improve access to comprehensive primary health care services in remote Indigenous communities: Protocol for a participatory action research project. JMIR Research Protocols, 14, e68892. https://doi.org/10.2196/68892

Paterson, M., Lagosky, S., & Mason, R. (2018). Health promotion and knowledge translation: Two roads to the same destination? Global Health Promotion, 25(3), 65–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975916665340