title: VHA Blueprints: redefining the way clinical knowledge is transferred.
abstract: Despite a growing interest in health care quality improvement, little has changed regarding how clinicians acquire, assimilate, and transfer knowledge concerning leading practices. Working with hospitals with recognized leading clinical practices, VHA Inc developed an innovative methodology for generating and transferring knowledge using a visual story format that incorporates structural, process, and contextual elements into a comprehensive knowledge transfer vehicle called a VHA Leading Practice Blueprint. The authors describe a validation study comparing the effectiveness of the Blueprint methodology as a knowledge transfer vehicle to 2 commonly used sources of performance improvement knowledge: traditional case study and peer-reviewed journal article. Six dimensions-display, content, transferability, recall, diffusion, and actionable-were evaluated. Analysis of data indicates that the Blueprint methodology was judged superior to case studies and peer-reviewed articles on all 6 dimensions. The Blueprint methodology appears to hold promise as a new medium for conveying leading practices in health care.
authors: VHA Inc, Irving, TX 75039, USA. kkosel@vha.com
authors: Keith C
authors: KC
authors: Kosel
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Clark
authors: Trent T
authors: TT
authors: Haywood
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Lonappan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007257:Information Theory; D019359:Knowledge; D007858:Learning; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014163:Transfer, Psychology