CHSRF Knowledge Transfer: Myths, "Zombies" and "Damned Lies" Plague Canadian Healthcare Systems: What's a Researcher to Do?

seasoned researchers and today's research savvy decision-makers, some of the ideas that show up in the news media or come up over coffee are laughable. That's because some of the ideas -for example, that the aging population will overwhelm the healthcare system -have long been discredited in health services research discussions. And, yet, the spread of such myths is no laughing matter. For example, when the public hears that all of our Canadian-trained doctors are headed to the United States or that our systems are financially unsustainable, they likely worry that their health is at stake and their systems are in disrepair. Decision-makers -even those with a savoir faire for making evidence-informed decisions -face similar challenges. Using research to inform management and policy is already difficult notwithstanding when popular culture supports measures that are counterintuitive to the best research.