Preparing for and Disseminating Study Results

Overview This session will cover how to: Develop and implement a dissemination plan Correctly time the release of information and results to various stakeholders Plan for various outcomes Orchestrate the public announcement of results Plan post-dissemination activities

Dissemination Planning Carefully planned dissemination of results is increasingly recognized as essential to the research process. Planning for dissemination should begin months before the results are known. Advocates, members of community advisory boards (CABs) and trial participants can help shape messages and dissemination strategies.

Dissemination Activities Package Information sharing with participants, CAB and staff members Formal notification to ethics committees, ministries of health, regulators, government officials and sponsors Outreach to community leaders and those involved in related trials Distribution of results summaries to trial stakeholders Journal publications and presentations at conferences

Constructing your Dissemination Plan Consider your initial communications strategy. Establish a team and determine how decisions will be made. Discuss how you will release results and draft a dissemination plan. Ensure that each site has a tailored plan. Decide how to inform study participants.

Considerations for Off-Site Communicators Involve staff at trial sites early in the process so they can adjust time and work plans accordingly. If resources allow, provide: –Tailored technical assistance –Materials that can be adapted for local site use –Support to local advocacy groups to adapt materials –Assistance to partners in dissemination planning –Case studies

Updating Messages and Materials

Timing is Everything! Develop a detailed (and flexible) timeline to assist with results dissemination. Work backwards from the release date. Allow time for input between sponsors and networks. Allow time for adaptation and translation of materials. Account for staff attrition and close of study budgets. Monitor journal and conference submission deadlines.

Releasing Results Participants should be informed as close to the public announcement as possible. Confidentiality issues will affect the timing of releases. Honor embargoes. Consider time zones, Daylight Savings Time (U.S.) or British Summer Time (U.K.), government holidays and international events. Try to anticipate factors that might affect your announcement strategy.

Planning for Various Outcomes Anticipate positive, neutral and negative scenarios, and describe the implications of each. How will each scenario change your announcement strategy? Develop key messages and background materials for all possible scenarios. –An internal Q&A is a great tool for messaging.

Recommendations for Background Materials Backgrounder that summarizes main findings Fact sheets targeted to specific audiences Press release External Q&A Flyers, posters and brochures Letter of thanks to trial participants Trial newsletter

Managing Embargoes and Pre-Release Are confidentiality agreements needed? Who needs to know what? When? How? Categorize your stakeholders by when they must receive results. Carefully plan media embargoes and the timing of your press releases. Learn the embargo policies of prospective conferences and publications. Always include multiple time zones in press release.

Orchestrating the Public Announcement In-country communications firms can tap local networks and contacts. –Close coordination is required to ensure consistent messaging to local opinion leaders and stakeholders. Use the announcement to celebrate participants, staff, partners and stakeholders. —A local event can help accomplish this goal. Monitor media coverage so you can quickly correct any mistakes.

Approaches to Stakeholder Notification Certain stakeholders require different treatment. Policymakers and government: face-to-face meetings are an important form of contact. Politicians are busy; provide summaries of long materials. Participants: Community forums, newsletters, thank you letters or text messages are appropriate for sharing results. Community members: open meetings Advocacy networks: conference calls or listserv communications

Giving Trial Participants a Voice Work with your IRB to develop a policy for allowing participants to engage with the media. Develop a procedure for selecting potential trial participants spokespeople. Share with you IRB examples of past successful experiences. Explain the downside of not involving participants in media interviews. –Journalists may talk to ill-informed or disgruntled participants instead.

Post-Announcement Dissemination Activities Depending on results, activities may continue for months after the trial closes. Media monitoring should continue beyond the trial closure. Research results should be published in a peer- reviewed scientific journal.

Promoting the Use of Research Results Involve key stakeholders in dissemination. –Enlist allies trusted by their peers Highlight the implications of your findings for practice. Take advantage of simple ways to increase your reach. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga generates interest by attending an event about male circumcision for HIV prevention.

Summary Your dissemination plan should be guided by lessons learned in implementing your communications plan. Scenario planning reduces the risk that you will be unprepared to address the implications of study results. Disseminating study results and their implications for practice helps promote application of the findings. The time during and after results dissemination should be used to expand networks and establish lasting relationships with key contacts in your field and in related disciplines.

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