Chapter 12: Disseminate Results

INTRODUCTION

Dissemination should occur within the organization and externally to the greater nursing and healthcare communities. Formal and informal internal dissemination of results begins shortly after the pilot evaluation is complete (Lipman, Lange, Cohen, & Peterson, 2014). Reporting pilot results is an important step toward integration of the practice change.

INTERNAL DISSEMINATION

Internal dissemination should include reporting within the organization’s shared governance and quality improvement (QI) structures. Figure 11.3 is an example of a flowchart for reporting in a shared governance structure to support integration of evidence-based practice (EBP) changes. Reporting through the QI program or directly to senior leaders (see Strategy 2-23) is strategic for demonstrating the direct link among the practice change, the EBP infrastructure, and organizational priorities (see Strategy 3-20). Senior leadership support grows if the return on investment from the EBP change is demonstrated and clearly articulated.

Reporting pilot results to areas subsequently rolling out the practice change will help garner interest. When disseminating internally, include a brief project summary in newsletters, blogs, or on intranet sites where clinicians are accustomed to looking for updates and announcements (see Example 12.1 and Strategy 3-8). These summaries should include the project title; project director and interprofessional team member names and credentials; purpose and rationale; brief synthesis of evidence; practice change; implementation strategies; and evaluation results. Be creative but brief, and tailor the information to the audience (e.g., nurse, medical assistant, pharmacy).

Consider developing a project poster to rotate between the appropriate clinical areas (see Example 12.2 and Tool 12.1) (Williams & Cullen, 2016). You can use this same poster for orientation of new clinicians to emphasize the expectation for continuous improvement through EBP.

EXTERNAL DISSEMINATION

A decision to disseminate externally cannot be made until after evaluative findings are analyzed. Dissemination outside of the organization expands nursing knowledge and encourages similar EBP changes in other organizations. External dissemination of results from EBP projects may be accomplished through oral presentations, poster presentations, or peer-reviewed publications.

Approval Process

Prior to external dissemination of EBP, institutional approval may be required (see Example 12.3). Simple notification of the EBP, Research, and/or QI office or a senior nurse administrator may be sufficient. If Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and approval is expected prior to dissemination of EBP work, consider either submitting a Human Subjects Research Determination (HSRD) form or filing for an exemption with the human subjects review committee (see Tool 12.2) (Adams, Farrington, & Cullen, 2012; Fineout-Overholt, Gallagher-Ford, Mazurek Melnyk, & Stillwell, 2011; Forsyth, Wright, Scherb, & Gaspar, 2010; Lekan, Hendrix, McConnell, & White, 2010; Wood & Morrison, 2011).

If your ...