DISSEMINATION PHASE: the last phase in research Busca, Reymark A.

DISSEMINATION PHASE: the last phase in research

We are now living in the era of technology and that’s why we are bounded with it. Technology has made our lives way easier, we can now save a lot of our time using technology. Research is always a very important part for almost everything, even when there was no technology at all research used to be done but of course that used to be a time consuming process. It is commonly recognized that research is now an activity undertaken by many health care professionals. Research purpose is to give or provide awareness or even information, and so in order for everyone to acquire informations and awareness, research findings has to be disseminated.

Sometimes a question is best answered with a question. In this case: what is the point of conducting research if no one knows about your findings? The answer is, there really is no point to research unless others can benefit from what is learned. Therefore, it is critical that you take the time to let others know about your findings.

The primary purpose of a research project is to gather information about an issue or problem and construct a report or article to disseminate the findings. In addition, it must be recognized that any research activity has personal and organizational benefits. Dissemination is a planned process that involves consideration of target audiences and the settings in which research findings are to be received.

Dissemination Phase is the last phase of the research process wherein we have to prepare research reports in order to communicate findings to the appropriate audience. Dissemination reports should also be peer-reviewed from independent colleagues in the same field of research who have not participated in the conduct of the study. The peer-review process of completed reports will ensure objectivity and increase likelihood of a valid and reliable report. To be most effective, a dissemination plan should be developed prior to the completion of the study, identifying the strategies for dissemination and the targeted audience. Of course, in an ideal world, findings match your hopes and the design execution was excellent so we can have a great confidence in our results. But the “ideal” is a rare thing, especially in research.We might have to share surprising and even counterintuitive findings.

The dissemination strategy should be based on an understanding of stakeholders and their information needs and preferences. A stakeholder is anyone who has a vested interest in the project or will be affected by its outcomes. Stakeholder analysis is an exercise in which stakeholders are identified, listed, and assessed in terms of their interest in the project and importance for its success and further dissemination.

All dissemination should have a purpose and should support or inform project development in some way. The purpose of the activity may be to:

Raise awareness—let others know what you are doing
Inform—educate the community
Engage—get input/feedback from the community
Promote—‘sell’ your outputs and results

` As a researcher we need to work out who our primary audience is; engage with them early and keep in touch throughout the project, ideally involving them from the planning of the study to the dissemination of findings. This should create ‘pull’ for your research i.e. a waiting audience for your outputs. You may also have secondary audiences and others who emerge during the study, to consider and engage.

Evaluating the success of your dissemination efforts is an iterative process. Once you have begun to disseminate your research finding or product, consider how you might evaluate the effect that your dissemination strategies have on getting your message to end users. Dissemination is not a one-time activity; rather, it is a long-term relationship with your users that will provide ongoing feedback to help you improve your message.

Dissemination Phase can be done thru media coverage, press release, research summary document, flyers, posters, brochures, and research briefs, policy briefs, study newsletters, community agency publications and websites and list serves, local events, seminars or conferences, community meetings, letter of thanks to study participants