| Question: |
What is dissemination? |
| Answer: |
The purposive diffusion of an effective innovation to a targeted set of potential adopters. |
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| Question: |
What is dissemination research? |
| Answer: |
The study of the processes and variables that
determine and/or influence the adoption of knowledge, interventions
or practice by various stakeholders (Lomas J., 1997). |
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| Question: |
What is diffusion? |
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The aggregate spread of innovations through intentional
and non-intentional means. A passive process that is not targeted,
perhaps even haphazard, is largely unplanned and uncontrolled
(Lomas, 1993). The process by which a new idea or new product
is accepted by the market (Rogers , 2003). |
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| Question: |
Are the tools that you’re using and listing on your site effective outside of HMOs? |
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Many times, yes. In fact, most of the tools on this website were developed for use with varied topics in various settings, such as encouraging people to recycle, monitoring diabetes, and HIV prevention. |
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| Question: |
I’m a grad student and I want to make sure that my research helps the people I’m studying and others too. Can you help me do this? |
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Yes. See the tools section of this website. We list lots of checklists, guidelines, and quizzes to help you design your research so that it will benefit people other than just researchers. |
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| Question: |
What’s the quickest way to communicate my research? |
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Sometimes in dissemination, quickest isn’t best. Specialty media and mass media are quickest for reaching a lot of people, but they typically have little impact in individuals unless the messages are repeated many times and, ideally, reinforced through other means, too, like people talking with each other. |
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| Question: |
Who can I talk to with a question? |
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For questions about dissemination research, contact our center manager, Bridget Gaglio. |
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| Question: |
Do you fund research? |
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Not at this time. But federal and private foundation funding for dissemination and implementation research has increased considerably. |
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| Question: |
Has this Center been operating long? |
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We began in 2007. |
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| Question: |
Are you part of Kaiser? |
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Yes. We’re part of the Institute for Health Research in Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and we have a sister center devoted to cancer communication research (www.CRN-CCRC.org). We study issues within Kaiser, with our patients and healthcare providers, and do just as much outside of Kaiser all across the nation. Come see us in Denver! |
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| Question: |
Why should I be interested in dissemination or implementation research? |
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A very good question. Many policymakers and researchers now recognize that while in the U.S. we have funded a great deal of basic research, most of it never ends up being used, let alone improving something like health or healthcare. Dissemination and implementation research sort of picks up where traditional research ends, by improving how research results are communicated and put to use. |
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Do you do research about new technologies? |
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Yes. Presently we are especially interested in how communication technologies such as specialty websites can enhance compatibility of fit between interventions and the organizations that adopt them. This suggests the importance of adaptation for producing optimal outcomes. |
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