Project Summary
Background: Patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative effectiveness research (CER) findings from projects funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) are not accessible to family physicians and other primary care clinicians (PCCs) to inform practice improvement and impact patient outcomes. PCCs do not have time to sort through scientific literature to identify which PCOR/CER studies would be of most benefit to their clinical practice. The AAFP is a trusted source of information about evidence and scientific studies that are relevant to PCCs and is well suited to disseminate PCORI-funded research findings to their broad primary care (PC) audience.
Proposed Solution: This project will develop a pipeline within AAFP to disseminate PCORI-funded PCOR/CER study findings by creating tools to support practice transformation in PC practices alongside companion patient resources. This project will establish dissemination strategies that are shown to be effective at reaching the PC audience (including clinicians and patients) with PC-relevant PCOR/CER findings.
Objectives:
- Incorporate PCOR/CER findings into a practice transformation initiative
- Disseminate PCOR/CER messaging and determine reach
- Determine uptake of PCOR TIPS (Transformation in Practice Series) module of AAFP TIPS
- Establish new workflows for PCOR/CER dissemination
- Perform outcome and process evaluation
- Long-term objectives: establish processes to promote identification of relevant PCOR/CER to be disseminated to the AAFP audience; engage clinicians and patients in the development of tools and resources to raise awareness and promote uptake of PCOR/CER; and create capacity for future dissemination of PCOR/CER tools and findings by building enhanced and sustainable processes and infrastructure. This work will increase knowledge about PCOR/CER and increase the uptake (use) of findings from PCORI-funded studies within PC clinical settings.
Activities:
- Form advisory group composed of AAFP staff and two patient and two family physician stakeholders
- Develop PCOR TIPS to incorporate PCOR findings about patient-centered agenda setting in PC
- Disseminate PCOR TIPS and create infrastructure for future dissemination of PCOR/CER
- Formalize processes of including patient and clinician stakeholder engagement in the development of tools and dissemination of PCOR and for future dissemination of PCOR/CER via tools and strategic communication strategies
- Evaluate PCOR TIPS for reaching PCCs with information about PCOR and supporting the uptake of PCOR evidence into practice
Outcomes and Outputs: PCOR TIPS will be available for agenda setting in PC for practice staff and patients, and a process for developing future PCOR TIPS or CER TIPS will have been established. PCCs and patients will be made aware of PCOR via the dissemination of PCOR TIPS through AAFP and familydoctor.org channels, and effective dissemination strategies for PCOR will be identified through this work via real-time analytic and audience behavior data showing which tactics drive action.
Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: Two patients and two physicians will inform the project, be consulted, and will collaborate with the study team throughout the duration of the project. Patient feedback on the patient-facing PCOR TIPS tool will be solicited during in-practice evaluation of the tool for evaluating uptake of PCOR.