SoWhoCaresAnyway E27 The Penalty of Ignorance

What happens when knowledge is out there, but inaccessible, unshared, or simply not embedded where it matters most?
In this episode, I am joined by Sue Lacey Bryant, former Chief Knowledge Officer for the NHS in England and Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. From childhood stories of missed bus routes to national strategy on knowledge mobilisation, Sue reflects on the emotional, ethical, and systemic costs of not knowing, and what it takes to turn information into action.
Together, they explore how knowledge mobilisation can move from theory to practice: through relationships, workflow design, and tools that make learning stick. They unpack Sue’s ABCD framework (Apply, Build, Continue, Drive), her six-stage mobilisation model, and the roles needed to make knowledge flow, from curators and brokers to adopters and managers.
From commissioning handbooks to clinical decision support, this conversation opens up the real work of embedding knowledge: not just publishing it, but making it usable, trusted, and sustained. Whether you’re leading change, working in care, or trying to bridge the gap between research and reality, there’s something here for you.

Show resources

Why does knowledge mobilisation matter?

Braithwaite, J., Glasziou, P. & Westbrook, J. The three numbers you need to know about healthcare: the 60-30-10 Challenge. BMC Med 18, 102 (2020).

Densen, P. Challenges and opportunities facing medical education. Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, 2011.

Balas EA, Boren SA. Managing Clinical Knowledge for Health Care Improvement. Yearb Med Inform. 2000;(1):65-70. PMID: 27699347.

Khan S, Chambers D, Neta G. Revisiting time to translation: implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in cancer control. Cancer Causes Control. 2021 Mar;32(3):221-230. doi: 10.1007/s10552-020-01376-z. Epub 2021 Jan 4. PMID: 33392908.

 

Definition of knowledge management

Stan Garfield: Knowledge Management: https://sites.google.com/site/stangarfield

 

Definitions of knowledge mobilisation

Sue Lacey Bryant: Knowledge Mobilisation: an ABCD

University of Ottawa: https://www.uottawa.ca/research-innovation/knowledge-mobilization

University of Calgary: https://research.ucalgary.ca/engage-research/knowledge-impact/knowledge-mobilization

NIHR: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/application-support/plan-knowledge-mobilisation

 

Learning Health Systems

Foley, T. et al. Realising the potential of Learning Health Systems, May 2021. https://learninghealthcareproject.org/realising-the-potential-of-learning-health-systems/

 

Knowledge Mobilisation tools and techniques

Knowledge Mobilisation Framework: https://library.hee.nhs.uk/knowledge-mobilisation/nhs-knowledge-mobilisation-framework-postcards

Knowledge Mobilisation self-assessment toolkit: https://library.hee.nhs.uk/knowledge-mobilisation/self-assessment-tool