Mechanics of knowledge translation

Imagine you are a visitor in a strange city and you need a taxi to take you to your hotel. Your taxi driver will ask you where you want to go, and sometimes (at least in Adelaide) they will suggest different routes. One may be the quickest but not necessarily the cheapest; the other will be the shortest distance and logically the cheapest. You are not surprised when they type your details into the electronic map finder in the car and you are reassured that they are using the latest, up-to-date technology to get you to your destination.

Now imagine the same scenario: you get into the taxi and when you ask the taxi driver to take you to your destination, he pulls out a very old dog-eared A to Z city map, which you can see by the cover is a 1999 edition. He spends several minutes searching for the right page and then asks you whether you have ever been to this hotel before. There is no sign of the latest technology in the taxi and by this time you are beginning to doubt the ability of the driver to get you to your destination and if he can, it is likely not going to be the quickest route. He is very charming and asks you whether you are comfortable in the back of the taxi; but somehow, you have a feeling that this journey might not be as straightforward as you want it to be.