Making sure research is used: community-generated recommendations for disseminating research.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Dissemination
• Community-Based Research

Background:

• Academic research impact is limited without effective dissemination to public-serving organizations.
• Researchers often lack training, rewards, or support for disseminating findings.
• Timely access to research by the public and providers remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present specific guidelines for research dissemination developed by a Community Advisory Board (CAB).
• To support researchers in sharing findings through nontraditional venues.
• To address the need for community-generated strategies for research dissemination.

Main Methods:

• Development of dissemination guidelines by the Community Advisory Board (CAB) of the University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS).
• Community members, with lived experience in accessing research, generated the guidelines.
• Conception and implementation of a dissemination strategy for the developed guidelines.

Main Results:

• A unique set of guidelines for research dissemination was created.
• The guidelines were generated by community members, ensuring relevance and accessibility.
• A strategy for disseminating these guidelines was also developed and implemented.

Conclusions:

• Community involvement in developing dissemination strategies is crucial for academic research impact.
• Nontraditional dissemination venues can be effectively utilized with appropriate guidelines.
• Empowering community members leads to more relevant and accessible research findings for public health.