Research dissemination, utilization and

application into policy

• Abdulaziz Howsawi

• Yousef Alrumayyan

• Abdullah Arafat
Objective:
To understand the importance of effective
dissemination of research work and its
conversion into evidence based policies and
procedures.
Research Dissemination: is the systematic
study of how the targeted distribution of
information and intervention materials to a
specific public health or clinical practice
audience.
Information Dissemination

How to Get Your Message Out !!!

Effective Dissemination …

… means getting the right information to the right

people at the right time so they can do the right
thing.

Brigman & Hanson, 2000

 Dissemination is an ongoing process subject to change
and evolution.

 Timing is everything.

 Less is More! Create information not data.

Developing a Dissemination Plan
 Developing a dissemination plan will facilitate the
translation of the research into practice.

 Dissemination plan should be considered from the

beginning of the project.

 Planning of how the research will be shared can guide

the research process and maintain focus on the project’s
ultimate goal.
Issues to consider in selection what to
disseminate:
 Think about the pros and cons of disseminating portions
of the research vs. all related products and findings.

 Is the research finding ready for disseminate?

 How strong is the evidence on the research findings?

 How does the research finding conform to current

procedures?
“Who will benefit from this knowledge?”
Components of a dissemination plan
 Components of a dissemination plan
Research findings and products:
◦ What is going to be disseminated?
End users:
◦ Who will apply it in practice?
Dissemination partners:
◦ Individuals, organizations or networks through whom you can
reach end users?
Communication:
◦ How you convey the research outcomes?
Evaluation:
◦ How you determine what worked?
Dissemination work plan:
◦ Where you start?
Steps of the Dissemination Plan
 “New research results regularly provide an abundance of
information to improve health care. Unfortunately,
putting these results into practice often falls short of
their envisioned potential. Even when research results
are successfully disseminated, diffusion of the
innovation occurs slowly, if at all. In many cases, it
sometimes takes decades to put research into practice.”

‘Development of a Planning Tool to Guide Research

Dissemination
Deborah Carpenter, Veronica Nieva, Tarek Albaghal,
and Joann Sorra.’
 “Dissemination and implementation are complex
processes, involving many disciplines and players
within an organization. No one approach or strategy
universally applies in every situation. Researchers,
therefore, need to use multiple methods and tools to
navigate their dissemination course”

‘Development of a Planning Tool to Guide Research

Dissemination
Deborah Carpenter, Veronica Nieva, Tarek Albaghal,
and Joann Sorra.’
Dissemination Activities, Tools,
Timing, and Responsibilities
Project overview
 Describe the current environment or context that
provides the impetus for the research being undertaken
— what is your research aiming to clarify or change?

 Who is or should be interested in the results?

 Briefly sketch out the research project and its objectives.

 How will it address the context or challenges you have

identified?
Dissemination activities, tools, timing,
and responsibilities
 This is the meat of your dissemination plan. Here you
describe the activities (such as briefings or
presentations) you will undertake to reach each target
audience, and the tools (such as printed materials or web
sites) that will support these activities.

 You also set out timing (what you will do first and when
you will do it) and assign responsibilities to team
members.
Successful dissemination activities go beyond
traditional vehicles such as publication in
scholarly journals —

look for activities that promote a two-way

dialogue, not a one-way flow of information.
Face-to-face meetings or briefings are a very
effective way to reach decision makers.
Make each member of your collaborative
research team responsible for carrying out at
least one dissemination activity, and schedule
meetings to report back and ensure
commitments are being met.
A good dissemination plan will have activities
that reach each of your target audiences, taking
into account their attitudes, habits, and
preferences.
What Makes Dissemination Effective?

Audience-Oriented.
Clear and focused.
Selectively chosen and combined.
Accessible.
Make the best use of available resources.
Allow for two-way communication.
Dissemination Strategies
The key aim for dissemination strategies is to
transmit useful and useable knowledge to
appropriate target audiences, including research
communities, practitioners, the public, policy
 .makers and regulatory bodies
Definition:
“is an evolving plan begun in advance of a research program”
that aims to:

* Extract clear messages from research results.

* Identify credible 'carriers' of the message
* Identify the audiences for the messages.
* Develop ways to deliver the messages that are appropriate to
the audiences”” According to CHSRF
 The audience?

How much you want them to know?

Press Releases:
◦ Press releases should generally not exceed one
or two pages.
◦ Should include:
o Highlights of the research findings.
o Which organizations and individuals were involved
in the project.
o Contact information for whoever will be the media
contact.
Research Report and Summary:
◦ Reports can be shared with other
organizations, with government, and with
members of the academic community.
◦ Reports can be published in an academic
journals.
◦ Researchers may be able to present to report at
conferences.
Posters,Brochures, Community
Newsletters:
◦ Communicating with a big number of people
quickly.
◦ Can be used to target specific neighborhood or
populations.
◦ Helpful in limited geographical area.
In-Person Dissemination:
◦ This type of dissemination can range from
contacting colleagues through phone and
email, to hosting an event, to presenting the
research at a community meeting or
professional conference.
◦ Requires a very through understanding of the
project.
Online Distribution (for public):
◦ It has the advantage of being widely
accessible.
◦ Examples include:
o Scientific magazine
o Blogs.
o Online newsletters and magazines.
o Social media.
Social media!!!!
Social media advantages
stability over time
social media landscape is quickly evolving and
many free tools either expire or change their
pricing policy;

familiar interface
popular social media provide an interface target
users are already familiar with and signed-up to

account federation
many social media allow to log onto third-party
applications with their existing identity, so that
people do not need to sign up separately
 Sharing knowledge is not about giving people
something, or getting something from them. That
is only valid for information sharing. Sharing
knowledge occurs when people are genuinely
interested in helping one another develop new
capacities for action; it is about creating learning
processes."
Peter M. Senge MIT-based author, researcher &
educator
References:
 http://www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk/Dissemination-and-i
mpact-144
 https://accelerate.ucsf.edu/files/CE/edi_introguide.pdf
 http://
www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patie
nt-safety-resources/resources/advances-in-patient-safety
/vol4/planningtool.html
 Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to
Implementation (Volume 4: Programs, Tools, and
Products).
 Development of a Planning Tool to Guide Research
Dissemination Deborah Carpenter, Veronica
Thank You