Profile of knowledge brokering in the Web 2.0 era: Empirical evidences of emerging practices in the health sector in Quebec, Canada

Knowledge brokering is an emerging best practice strategy in knowledge translation and exchange in the health sector. Knowledge brokering is defined as being an activity undertaken by intermediaries (individuals, organizations, networks, etc.) acting as “connectors” to link producers and end users of new knowledge. Despite the increase in research dealing with the importance of knowledge brokering in the health sector, little is still known about the profiles and practical practices of knowledge brokers. This article provides an empirical portrait of knowledge brokering in the Web 2.0 era. It goes beyond the rhetoric and the opposing anecdotal evidence to respond to two questions: i) What is the profile of knowledge brokers? and ii) How does knowledge brokering work in the health sector in Quebec, Canada? The data used come from a survey carried out in 2011 among a representative sample of knowledge brokers using Web 2.0 technologies in Canada. The theory of knowledge absorptive capacity is used as the analytical reference to describe the “black box” of the knowledge brokering process. Results: The authors of this article provide a detailed profile of knowledge-brokering activities (stages, behavior, support, etc.), brokers´ individual attributes (age, gender, experience, training, preferences, etc.), as well as exchanged-knowledge specific attributes. Conclusion: This study shows the complexity and diversity of the knowledge brokers´ tasks and emphasizes the importance of the training and support required to develop brokers´ competencies and the collaborations required by the digital media coverage of knowledge as well as by the mobilization of evidence for decision making and public health policies.