Dissemination of Evidence-based Practice Center reports.
The Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) program within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides detailed evidence reports for partner organizations that they can translate into activities that improve patient care. A review of these dissemination activities provides a rich opportunity to understand how to create more successful linkages between best evidence and best practice. On the basis of interviews with EPC directors, AHRQ staff, and representatives of public and private users of EPC reports, we summarize the variety of efforts to disseminate the work of the EPCs. We also identify a case example of a successful dissemination of an EPC report. Experience to date reinforces the importance of creating close ties between researchers and the policymakers, clinicians, and other decision makers who use EPC evidence reports; developing a conceptual framework to guide the process; and establishing the resource foundation for the entire effort.
Matchar
David B
DB
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA. david.matchar@duke.edu
Westermann-Clark
Emma V
EV
McCrory
Douglas C
DC
Patwardhan
Meenal
M
Samsa
Gregory
G
Kulasingam
Shalini
S
Myers
Evan
E
Sarria-Santamera
Antonio
A
Lee
Alison
A
Gray
Rebecca
R
Liu
Katherine
K
D002908:Chronic Disease; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D014481:United States; D016270:United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality