3004 — Dissemination of Findings in a Learning Healthcare System: Stretching to Reach a Broad Audience Through Innovations in Method, Material, and Medium

Lead/Presenter: Gala True,  South Central MIRECC
All Authors: True G, South Central MIRECC, Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System; Hamilton A, Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, & Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles; Ono S, Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, VA Portland;

Workshop Objectives:
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) values engagement of Veterans in all stages of the research process. However, most researchers continue to rely on a traditional, unidirectional approach that does not engage with Veterans when it comes to dissemination of findings, and many Veteran communities are unaware of VHA-funded research and its outcomes. In this context, our workshop provides practical guidance on how to communicate about findings with key constituencies via diverse forums and platforms in ways that resonate with, accurately locate, and engage our target audiences. Our objective is to demonstrate the relevance of innovative dissemination strategies and make those strategies accessible and feasible across the organization and research continuum. We offer guidance on emergent dissemination strategies along with various perspectives on why journal articles and scientific presentations are not enough and why we want Veterans and other stakeholders to have access to our research in alternative formats.

Activities:
The workshop encourages interaction and begins with an overview of VHA-funded projects that have disseminated findings to ever-wider audiences through social media, direct-to-stakeholder brief reports and newsletters, websites, visual abstracts, community conferences, and innovative story-telling and arts-based mediums. We will share insights from Veterans, providers, administrators, and other stakeholders about dissemination best practices, and discuss approaches to measuring the impacts of diverse forms of dissemination, including the emerging field of "altmetrics," a means of measuring online engagement with research. We provide concrete examples of innovative dissemination strategies and products, as well as an interactive discussion with the panel (which includes Veterans) on how to employ different communication strategies within VHA. For 30 minutes, we will break into 3 smaller groups of focused discussions on 1 of 3 specific forms of innovative dissemination: 1) social media, 2) stakeholder/community conferences, and 3) visual-narrative (e.g., visual abstracts, videos). Attendees will develop knowledge on how to incorporate new dissemination approaches across the research continuum, as well as how to measure the impact of these dissemination methods.

Target Audience:
Health services researchers at all stages, clinical and operational partners, Veteran and Veteran Service Organization research partners, and research administration.

Assumed Audience Familiarity with Topic:
Basic familiarity with health services research.