Research into practice: the path to development of an African network of knowledge brokers among health librarians

The knowledge broker role is an opportunity for librarians to support health care workers' by inserting knowledge into the nurse's frontline clinical practice. Conception of an African network of knowledge brokers arose out of a knowledge broker project for health care workers initiated at Chitambo District hospital of Chitambo district in Central Zambia by the Friends of Chitambo. The pilot knowledge broker learning course was designed through a collaborative network between organisations in Scotland, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Zambia. The course was set in modules corresponding to elements of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation Framework ­Evidence, Context and Facilitation. Formation of the African knowledge broker network was instigated through the course designed for health librarians from Zambia and Zimbabwe. The course has been refined and was to be delivered to six health librarians from Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia in March 2020; which was postponed due to COVID-19. An envisaged online version could not take place as most participants indicated lack of access to the internet due to the fact that their workplaces went on recess owing to COVID-19.The pilot knowledge broker learning course for Africa marks the beginning of the practice of knowledge brokering by African health librarians.

Health librarians making a difference in a health care setting: the Chitambo emergency care communications project

Health librarians in the role of a knowledge broker can encourage health care workers to use evidence based health information. The knowledge broker role is an intervention dedicated to translating knowledge into action originating from the evidence-based medicine campaign. The Chitambo Emergency Care Communications Project through its knowledge component work strand has visualisations of converting knowledge into action to improve emergency care response by health workers, through the implementation of the knowledge broker role for health care workers in Chitambo district, Central Zambia. Implementation of the knowledge broker activity for Chitambo adopted a framework purposefully designed to build capacity for health librarians by the National Health Service Education for Scotland. The knowledge to action model can be useful in providing the relevant information to improve patient outcomes for healthcare workers. These knowledge gaps can be alleviated by knowledge brokering as it straddles through any knowledge gaps between the health workers' knowledge and their service delivery practice.