| Summary: | Thesis submitted in Fifty percent completion of the degree of Master of Management in
the field of Public Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
30 March 2017 === The integration of new discoveries in health programmes has been an integral part of
improving their implementation and outcomes. However, there is an information gap
that tends to exist between policy developers, decision makers, researchers, and
implementers. This often results in misunderstanding and inconsistencies from ‘what is
implemented’ versus ‘what should be implemented’ due to differences in interpreting
and using the knowledge available.
Using a qualitative research approach, this study set out to explore how the Gauteng
Provincial Government’s (GPG) Employee Health and Wellness Programme (EHWP)
translates knowledge into implementation. It considers the different designated
Knowledge Translation (KT) roles in the programme as well as the hindrances that
exist in executing the identified KT methods.
Data was collected through reviewing relevant documents to the programme in the
public sector, conducting two focus groups with ten participants as well as five in-depth
individual interviews, using semi-structured questionnaires. The participants
represented ten Gauteng provincial departments and two national departments. The data
was analysed using the thematic analysis approach to establish contrasting and
correlating information in the emerging themes. The themes were compared to the
Knowledge to Action (KTA) model, to assess the correlation with the existing KT
frameworks in literature.
The significant finding of the study indicated that the established GPG EHWP KT
methods, have taken on the steps of the KTA model. However, they did not adopt its
process sequence, nor did they have a specified clear path that was practised in the
programme. This resulted in a knowledge gap, misinterpretation, and confusion at
implementation level. Therefore, the programme may benefit from having a systematic
framework, which will be able to guide KT, assess barriers, and clarify roles at each
stage of implementation. === MT 2018
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