Knowledge Transfer - Outreach Expansion

HRET is working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to promote the use of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations among practicing clinicians as well as health professions students. The USPSTF is an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness of various services. Specifically, the goal of this project is to increase the implementation of USPSTF tools in the clinical setting. Activities to achieve this goal include:

1. Providing technical assistance to target audiences such as physicians and nurse practitioners through their representative organizations.
2. P resenting the USPSTF recommendations at conferences that focus on prevention or the target audiences in order to bring the resources to as many individuals as possible
3. Preparing new model curriculum as well as teaching resources to assist in the education of tomorrow’s caregivers in the field of prevention and specifically the USPSTF.

This project is an expansion of work done in the previous year under a similar contract from AHRQ. During the course of that project a variety of teaching tools were created that are now available on the AHRQ Web site at http://www.ahrq.gov/news/kt/ktwebcasts.htm under the heading Outreach to Academic Health Professional Institutions.

AHRQ and the HRET KT Contracts
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed numerous evidence-based tools and research findings with the goal of improving the quality of health care. AHRQ frequently partners with external organizations to disseminate and implement these products in hospitals and other health care organizations.

In 2009, AHRQ issued a master contract to HRET to carry out dissemination projects in conjunction with the AHRQ Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer (OCKT). Through discrete projects designed by the OCKT, HRET is building awareness and supporting implementation of evidence-based AHRQ tools and research. HRET is also providing feedback to AHRQ on the successes and barriers in implementing these tools and will make recommendations on the kinds of research the field needs to provide high quality care.

To learn more about this and other KT projects, contact Chris Hund at 312-422-2637 or chund@aha.org.