Making the Random the Usual: Appreciative Inquiry/Boot Camp Translation-Developing Community-Oriented Evidence That...

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Health services research
• Qualitative research methods

Background:

• Clinical guidelines may not address local community needs.
• Community Advisory Councils identified a need for mental health care access evidence.
• A novel method, Appreciative Inquiry with Boot Camp Translation (AI/BCT), was developed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and testing of the AI/BCT method.
• To generate community-specific evidence for mental health care access.
• To identify lessons learned from applying the AI/BCT method.

Main Methods:

• Collaborated with community partners (HPRN CAC, SNOCAP) on 5 topics.
• Employed Appreciative Inquiry (AI) for data generation through interviews.
• Utilized Boot Camp Translation (BCT) to develop community-relevant messages and materials from AI findings.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated community-specific evidence, messages, and materials for all 5 topics.
• Identified 5 key lessons for effective AI/BCT implementation, including topic suitability, focus on "what works," qualitative analysis expertise, adequate resources, and contextualized findings presentation.
• Documented adaptations, barriers, and successes at each stage.

Conclusions:

• AI/BCT is an effective method for generating evidence when standard guidelines are insufficient.
• The method transforms individual successes into established community practices.
• AI/BCT empowers communities to address specific health needs through tailored evidence and communication strategies.