title: Using theory and evidence to guide the use of educational outreach to improve patient care.
abstract: Educational outreach is a common quality improvement (QI) strategy used alone and in combination with other interventions. However, a meta-analysis of educational outreach has failed to identify reasons for variation in its impact. To better understand such variation in findings, a more comprehensive set of characteristics about educational outreach is needed. This article describes the contribution that diffusion of innovations theory and evidence-based continuing education practices can make toward standardizing a set of characteristics to guide QI and research efforts using educational outreach. The article offers a set of characteristics and describes the implications of the set for research and QI efforts.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Nursing, Storrs, CT 06269-2026, USA. tom.vanhoof@uconn.edu
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Van Hoof
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Meehan
mesh_terms: D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D058996:Quality Improvement