The Social Impact of the Application of Medical Research with Meta-Synthesis Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Najmeh Nazeri 1
Ali Shabani 2
Mostafa Hossini Golkar 3
Alireza Noruzi 4
1 PhD Student, Knowledge and Information Science, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor of Futures Studies in Health,, Medical Informatics Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
4 Associate Professor, Knowledge and Information Science, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.48305/him.2024.42609.1187
Abstract
Introduction: Today, in the field of medical sciences, research evaluation places greater emphasis on assessing social impact. To this end, this research endeavors to identify the components of the social impact model for medical research application.
Methods: This research conducted a systematic review and analysis of previous studies. The research examined 8 Persian and 29 English sources on the social impact of medical research application. This research was carried out through a meta-synthesis approach. The time frame spans from 1990 to June 2022 for English and Persian sources up to the time of conducting the research. From the available sources, 37 were selected and analyzed. The Cohen's Kappa expert agreement coefficient was used to validate the results. Based on these findings, the researcher proceeded to present a conceptual framework that includes key concepts and categories from the reviewed sources.
Results: Analysis of the conducted studies revealed 147 codes across 24 concepts, 12 categories, and 6 themes. These themes encompass various aspects of knowledge, including knowledge governance, knowledge production and exchange, knowledge dissemination and transfer, knowledge mobilization, popularization of knowledge, and knowledge utilization.
Conclusion: The conceptual model of the social impact of medical research application endeavors to reveal the processes of knowledge governance and knowledge production and exchange. It begins with the interactive model, emphasizing relational capital and fostering closer collaboration between researchers and policy makers. This collective approach extends to industry and government investment in research. The overall goal is to enhance research systems, ensuring they meet society’s needs by facilitating knowledge transfer and mobilization. Two key strategies are employed, namely the structure of formal and informal exchange networks, and the utilization of intermediaries.

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