Deliberative Dialogue and Knowledge-to-Action
The currently featured ANS article is titled “Toward Relational Practices for Enabling Knowledge-to-Action in Health Systems: The Example of Deliberative Dialogue” by Katrina Plamondon, MSc, RN; Susana Caxaj, PhD, RN (available at no coast while featured). In this article the authors raise critical questions that deserve our consideration, and offer promising approaches for addressing these questions. Here is the authors’ account of how this work evolved, and vision for the future:
The idea for this article was sparked over several coffee dates with Katrina, with us both reflecting on different health inequities in the world, and genuinely wondering, what tools do we need to affect change? We shared several of our own experiences and
Susana Caxaj (L) and Katrina Plamondon (R)
noticed the common thread of relational practices and intentional collaboration. Katrina has spent a lot of time exploring the potential of deliberative dialogue to provide a framework for such initiatives in her doctoral work, and she proposed that writing about our past projects through this lens could encourage others to create collaborative spaces to tackle the complex health issues of our time.
We look forward to contributing further to the necessary discussion about the best ways to bring about change. Ultimately, we hope that readers take away the importance of process and incremental outcomes to envision the most transformative, bold and radical changes that are needed in our world.
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ANS: Advances in Nursing Science Blog 
Congratulations to the researchers and authors of of a fascinating article that describes a relational, practical approach to ensuring reflection, dialogue and action about matters of social justice. As a retired nurse with a special interest in nursing ethics, I noted themes throughout the article l that apply to ethical decision making in clinical settings as well as the broader social, community context of healthcare. I have written about these matters in the second edition of The Moral Work of Nursing: Asking and Living with the Questions (released in 2017)
Thanks for your comment, authorhazel! Susana and I have often talked about the influence our nursing lens brings to the work we do—even when we are the only nurses involved. We see the world through a persistently relational lens. This lens shapes how we think about so many things—from ethics to engagement and even in how we frame an issue. I look forward to reading more about how you are thinking relationally in clinical healthcare decision making!