LRNT 622 – Unit 1: Activity 2 – Thoughts on the Dissemination of my DLRCP

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

As soon as I read what we needed to do for this activity, the first question that popped into my mind was, “Where do I start with this one?”. When I worked at the hospital and had conducted research with my colleagues, my mentors had always encouraged to publish the research in a journal and present at a conference that our hospital would host, or one that was hosted by one of the dental hygiene associations. However, when thinking of my DLRCP project, this may not be the route to take at the moment.

I decided to do some research on dissemination and found an article developed by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), “Quick-Start Guide to Dissemination for Practice-Based Research Networks”. Some of the points in this article is quite pertinent and can be applied to my dissemination plan. According to the AHRQ (2014), dissemination “refers to the process of sharing research findings with stakeholders and wider audiences” and is key “for uptake” (para. 2). The AHRQ (2014) suggests that a dissemination plan explain the following: (a) Why—the purpose of dissemination, (b) What—the message to be disseminated, (c) To whom—the audience, (d) How—the method, and (e) When—the timing (para. 3). When keeping these considerations in mind, I feel that I would need to disseminate in two phases.

The first phase of dissemination would be a presentation to the Chair of the Dental Programs, the Program Directors and the Clinical Coordinators of all the dental programs i.e. Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, Denturism and Dental Technology. In this presentation, I would introduce and demonstrate the interactive online training module(s), discuss the benefits, and get feedback on how and when this could be implemented for the staff to use. For example, this could be incorporated into our Blackboard platform for staff to access anytime, anywhere in the beginning of the fall semester in 2020.

The second phase of dissemination would be to present the implementation of the interactive online training module(s) at a Professional Development Workshop held during Intersession at our college, or during the George Brown College (GBC) Digital Education Day. The audience would be interested colleagues from all programs and departments in the GBC community. The implementation, the benefits and the challenges of the project would be presented. Another consideration for the project is to offer the training module(s) as an open educational resource for the GBC community and other colleges.

These are just a few of my thoughts on the dissemination of my DLRCP. I look forward to hearing and appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

Reference:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014). Quick-Start Guide to Dissemination for Practice-Based Research Networks. Retrieved from https://pbrn.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/AHRQ%20PBRN%20Dissemination%20QuickStart%20Guide_0.pdf