A mixed methods study to develop a tool to assess institutional readiness to conduct knowledge translation activities in low-income and middle-income countries

Objective This paper describes the development of a tool for assessing organisational readiness to conduct knowledge translation (KT) among academic institutions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Design A literature review and stakeholder consultation process were conducted to identify constructs relevant for assessing KT readiness in LMICs. These were face-validated with LMIC stakeholders and organised into a Likert-scale questionnaire. Participants The questionnaire was distributed to researchers based at six LMIC academic institutions and members of a global knowledge-to-action thematic working group. Outcome measures An exploratory factor analysis was used to identify underlying dimensions for assessing institutional readiness to conduct KT. Results 111 respondents with varied KT experiences from 10 LMICs were included in the analysis. We selected 5 factors and 23 items, with factor loadings from 0.40 to 0.77. These factors include (1) institutional climate, (2) organisation change efficacy, (3) prioritisation and cosmopolitanism, (4) self-efficacy, and (5) financial resources. These factors accounted for 69% of the total variance, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.78, 0.73, 0.62, 0.68 and 0.52, respectively. Conclusions This study identifies a tool for assessing readiness of LMIC academic institutions to conduct KT and unique opportunities for building capacity. The organisational focus of these factors underscores the need for strategies that address organisational systems and structures in addition to individual skills. Future research will be conducted to understand determinants of these factors and develop a comprehensive set of capacity building strategies responsive to academic institutions in LMICs.