Bringing it home: expanding the local reach of dissemination and implementation training via a university-based workshop

Abstract

BackgroundCurrently, national training programs do not have the capacity to meet the growing demand for dissemination and implementation (D&I) workforce education and development. The Colorado Research in Implementation Science Program (CRISP) developed and delivered an introductory D&I workshop adapted from national programs to extend training reach and foster a local learning community for D&I.MethodsTo gauge interest and assess learning needs, a pre-registration survey was administered. Based on feedback, a 1.5-day workshop was designed. Day 1 introduced D&I frameworks, strategies, and evaluation principles. Local and national D&I experts provided ignite-style talks on key lessons followed by panel discussion. Breakout sessions discussed community engagement and applying for D&I grants. A workbook was developed to enhance the training and provided exercises for application to an individual’s projects. Day 2 offered expert-led mentoring sessions with selected participants who desired advanced instruction. Two follow-up surveys (immediate post-workshop, 6 months) assessed knowledge gained from participation and utilization of workshop content.ResultsNinety-three workshop registrants completed an assessment survey to inform workshop objectives and curriculum design; 43 % were new and 54 % reported a basic understanding of the D&I field. Pre-registrants intended to use the training to “apply for a D&I grant” (73 %); “incorporate D&I into existing projects” (76 %), and for quality improvement (51 %). Sixty-eight individuals attended Day 1; 11 also attended Day 2 mentoring sessions. In the 1-week post-workshop survey (n = 34), 100 % strongly agreed they were satisfied with the training; 97 % strongly agreed the workshop workbook was a valuable resource. All Day 2 participants strongly agreed that working closely with faculty and experts increased their overall confidence. In the 6-month follow-up evaluation (n = 23), evidence of new D&I-related manuscripts and grant proposals was found. Training materials were published online (www.ucdenver.edu/implementation/workshops) and disseminated via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards Consortium. To sustain reach, CRISP adapted the materials into an interactive e-book (www.CRISPebooks.org) and launched a new graduate course.ConclusionsLocal D&I training workshops can extend the reach of national training programs.

Broadening measures of success: results of a behavioral health translational research training program

“…Training and mentoring new researchers in implementation science and in translational research are increasingly emphasized in health equity research, as evidenced by the many current programs in existence for training both students and faculty members [1, 6, 8, 10, 39–41]. To facilitate innovation in translational research in clinical and services research, researchers from various disciplines must be willing to engage in collaboration beyond the defined margins of their discipline [9].…”

“…Translational research aims to improve individual and population health outcomes by bringing evidence-based knowledge into clinical and public health practice [1, 2]. Health service researchers and clinicians are increasingly expected to not only produce high-quality research but also facilitate sustained implementation of knowledge in practice [3].…”

Development and Implementation of the Inaugural Anatomy Education Research Institute (AERI 2017)

“…Using tools in Qualtrics, the follow-up survey can automatically pre-populate the 3 goals participants listed in the previous survey, so participants may assess how well they have followed through on those goals. Similar 6-month follow up surveys have helped demonstrate the efficacy and long term impacts of other health sciences training workshops (Morrato et al, 2015).…”

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Training Program in Implementation Science: Program Experiences and Outcomes

“…To address these gaps, several types of programs have been developed that offer training in a variety of formats: degree granting programs, stand-alone certificate programs, short course mentored immersion programs, and workshops. Apart from our own University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Implementation Science Training Program (5), several other programs are affiliated and administered through academic institutions (6)(7)(8). Of these, several offer a multi-year, nondegree conferring fellowship experience to students that often includes longitudinal mentorship (6), while others use a shorter 1, 2 day workshop format as an introduction to the implementation science as a field of study (7).…”

“…Apart from our own University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Implementation Science Training Program (5), several other programs are affiliated and administered through academic institutions (6)(7)(8). Of these, several offer a multi-year, nondegree conferring fellowship experience to students that often includes longitudinal mentorship (6), while others use a shorter 1, 2 day workshop format as an introduction to the implementation science as a field of study (7). Additional training programs, such as the National Institutes of Health Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH) (9,10), have been developed and administered through national institutes, often in collaboration with multiple academic centers.…”