Dissemination and Implementation Research for Occupational Safety and Health

Abstract

The translation of evidence-based health innovations into real-world practice is both incomplete and exceedingly slow. This represents a poor return on research investment dollars for the general public. U.S. funders of health sciences research (e.g., NIH, CDC, NIOSH) are increasingly calling for dissemination plans, and to a lesser extent for dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, which are studies that examine the effectiveness of D&I efforts and strategies and the predictors of D&I success. For example, rather than merely broadcasting information about a preventable hazard, D&I research in occupational safety and health (OSH) might examine how employers or practitioners are most likely to receive and act upon that information. We propose here that D&I research should be seen as a dedicated and necessary area of study within OSH, as a way to generate new knowledge that can bridge the research-to-practice gap. We present D&I concepts, frameworks, and examples that can increase the capacity of OSH professionals to conduct D&I research and accelerate the translation of research findings into meaningful everyday practice to improve worker safety and health.

Research Methodologies for Total Worker Health ®

“…These strategies may be used throughout the research process and combined with quantitative assessments to confirm scientific accuracy and provide metrics around participation. These metrics and other measures of dissemination and implementation 13,14 would offer supplementary information on the process and strategies used, why workers or employers participate or not, and the makeup of the intended audience.…”

“…13,14 This is because intervention research, in particular, accounts for the majority of the TWH literature to date and was emphasized in the recommendations and goals by the Independent Panel of the Pathways to Prevention 2015 Meeting 11 and the National TWH Agenda. 12 …”

Small Business Total Worker Health: a Conceptual and Methodological Approach to Facilitating Organizational Change

“…Second, we are employing traditional research methods based on randomized controlled trial intervention design to rigorously assess the evidence of effectiveness. Finally, we are simultaneously evaluating the intervention through the lens of dissemination and implementation science (Dugan & Punnett, 2017). Ultimately, our goal is to provide small businesses with strong evidence to support the use of TWH interventions that are practical, effective and sustainable.…”

“…TWH research and interventions are rarely translated into small business applications (Dugan & Punnett, 2017). While certain programs and practices may work well in isolated and very controlled settings, it is important to understand more broadly how research is disseminated and implemented to small businesses in the field (Schulte et al, 2017).…”

Inaugural Editorial: Help on the Way

“…Thus, I particularly appreciated Bakker and van Woerkom's contribution as a way to weave together two somewhat disparate streams of research in ways that will hopefully stimulate further research on flow at work. Dugan and Punnett (2017) provide an overview of dissemination and implementation (D&I) research. Although interventions are one of the downstream goals of occupational health science, we arguably lack systematic knowledge on how to implement interventions or how to disseminate the findings from interventions.…”