Dissemination experiences and preferences from HIV service delivery organizations

Better understanding of how deliverers use research and select interventions can further reduce the gap between developing and delivering effective intervention and implementation strategies, especially in the field of HIV.

We interviewed a convenience sample of Midwest health organizations and health departments who are involved with HIV treatment and/or prevention services. Using an iterative, rapid qualitative analysis, we identified key steps in the process of prioritizing health needs, selecting interventions, and disseminating or receiving information about interventions.

In order to prioritize areas for interventions, organizations used community assessments, developing leaderships buy-in, considered staff capacity, accessed funding, and created partnerships. Once a priority areas was developed, interventions were usually developed by the organization or adapted from pre-existing interventions to meet local needs. Organizations preferred to receive information from trusted broker agencies or from peer organizations. There was a strong desire to evaluate and share results from home-grown interventions but evaluation capacity and funding were limiting factors.

There are several ways to improve dissemination and knowledge sharing between researchers and practitioners. Researchers can design flexible and adaptable interventions, with a range of dissemination materials available to broker agencies. Deliverers can partner with researchers for evaluation, while funders can specifically support evaluation and dissemination, including peer-to-peer learning.