Canadian Journal of Pain

Improving Pain Research Through Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Science

The goal of pain research is to ultimately improve the lives of people with pain. This means that pain research must directly inform and impact practice, policy, public awareness, and health outcomes. This Article Collection focuses on knowledge mobilization and implementation science as active areas in pain research. Knowledge mobilization refers to a wide range of activities relating to the production and use of research results, including knowledge synthesis, dissemination, transfer, translation, exchange, creation of new knowledge tools/products/resources/activities, and/or their implementation and evaluation, and co-creation or co-production by researchers and knowledge users (e.g., infographics, toolkits, public awareness, policy briefs, engagement dialogues).  Implementation science refers to a systematic approach to understanding, guiding, and evaluating the complex process of translating research into practical application, ultimately improving healthcare and other professional practices (e.g., examining implementation barriers and facilitators, implementation success outcomes [adoption, acceptability, cost, feasibility, reach, etc.]). This Article Collection seeks to highlight high quality knowledge mobilization and implementation science happening across all areas of pain research around the world.

Estimates suggest that only 60% of healthcare aligns with evidence-based guidelines, with 30% of care being of low value or some form of waste, and 10% being harmful. Alarmingly, it takes an estimated 17 years for research to improve care. There is an urgent need to ensure that pain research efficiently informs practice and policy to effectively address pain as a public health concern. In today’s society, misinformation abounds making it increasingly hard for people living with pain, families and friends, health professionals, decisionmakers, policymakers, and the public to identify and action best evidence. The field of pain research must prioritize knowledge mobilization and implementation science approaches to address top priorities identified by patients and policymakers related to access, equity, acceptability, feasibility, and sustainability of evidence-based pain care, while also decreasing the perpetuation of ineffective or harmful practices.

This Article Collection welcomes:

• Articles focused on any aspect of knowledge mobilization and/or implementation science.
• Articles from any area of pain research (e.g., pediatric, adult, acute pain, chronic pain, etc.); articles focusing on knowledge mobilization of basic science and/or clinical pain research are also highly welcome.
• Various article types, including scholarly reviews, meta-analyses, original research articles (of any appropriate methodology), commentaries, and case series or reports (i.e., knowledge mobilization and/or implementation science cases, not clinical cases).
• Articles should tie their work to relevant knowledge mobilization and/or implementation science theories, models, and frameworks.
• Co-authorship with people with lived experience and/or other partners is highly encouraged, although not required.

This article collection is in partnership with Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), a Canadian knowledge mobilization network, and the Chronic Pain Network, one of five chronic disease networks funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research.

Submission Instructions:

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo full peer-review; the Guest Advisor will not be handling submitted articles. Please review the journal’s aims and scope and author instructions prior to submission.

Please submit your manuscript through Taylor & Francis's Submission Portal.

During the first step of the submission process (under the "Manuscript Details" heading), you will find the question "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?" Click the radio button for "Yes".

Next, you will be prompted to select the "Special Issue or Article Collection name" from the dropdown menu. Choose "Improving Pain Research Through Knowledge Mobilization and Implementation Science" from the list. This will ensure that your manuscript is considered for inclusion.

The manuscript submission deadline is 31 January 2026.

If you have any questions about this Article Collection, please contact Krista Thom at Krista.Thom@taylorandfrancis.com.

Guest Advisor:

Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Birnie is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary where she leads Partnering for Pain, a patient-oriented research program focused on improving pain in children and families through partnerships. She is the Associate Scientific Director of Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), a Canadian knowledge mobilization network, and is a Co-Principal Investigator of the Chronic Pain Network, one of five chronic disease networks funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) focused on knowledge mobilization and implementation science.

Disclosure Statement: Dr. Birnie discloses no conflict of interest.