Results: Definitions of facilitation
| First author/year | Definition of facilitation | Number of citations |
| PARiHS framework Kitson (2008, 1998)3 17 | Facilitation is ‘a technique by which one person makes things easier for others’ (p 152). ‘The term describes the type of support required to help people change their attitudes, habits, skills, ways of thinking, and working.’ (p 152) | n=19 |
| Harvey (2002)20 | Facilitation refers to ‘the process of enabling (making easier) the implementation of evidence into practice’ (p 579). ‘Facilitation is achieved by an individual carrying out a specific role (a facilitator), which aims to help others.’ (p 579) | |
| Bashir (2000)32 | ‘Facilitation uses personal contact between the facilitator and the professional to encourage good practice and better service organisation.’ (p 626) | n=0 |
| Schwartz (2002)212 | ‘A process of enabling individuals, groups, or teams to work effectively together to achieve a common goal.’ (cited in ref 18, p 296) | n=1 |
| Ferguson (2004)29 | ‘Facilitation involves helping others to identify questions of practice; providing support to enable others to meet specific goals, including research use; attending to the process of achieving those goals; and knowing the system in which change is proposed and implemented.’ (p 325) | n=0 |
| Lekalakala-Mokgele (2005)33 | ‘Facilitation is both a method and a strategy for learning. Facilitation promotes critical thinking in the learners and both become reflective learners.’ (p 25) | n=0 |
| Stetler (2006)4 | ‘Facilitation is a deliberate and valued process of interactive problem solving and support that occurs in the context of a recognized need for improvement and a supportive interpersonal relationship. Facilitation is primarily a distinct role with a number of potentially crucial behaviors and activities.’ (Abstract paragraph 4) | n=4 |
| Petrova (2010)30 | ‘Facilitation is the process of providing support to individuals or groups to achieve beneficial change’ (p 38). It has been described as ‘the provision of opportunity, resources, encouragement and support for the group to succeed in achieving its own objectives and to do this through enabling the group to take control and responsibility for the way they proceed.’ (p 38) | n=1 |
| Dogherty (2010)19 | ‘Facilitation is viewed as both an individual role as well as a process involving individuals and groups.’ (p 86) | n=3 |