A Thematic Content Analysis of Practitioners' Inquiries about Public Health Research and Interventions: Implications for Enhancing Dissemination

Background: Improving communication and strengthening collaboration between researchers and public health practitioners is critical for effectively disseminating and implementing evidence-based interventions. To this end, NCI’s Research to Reality (R2R) online community of practice convenes researchers and practitioners around a shared commitment to implement evidence-based, cancer-related (e.g., physical activity, tobacco control, screening, prevention) interventions in public health settings. Several dynamic approaches are used to facilitate dynamic communication and collaboration, including monthly webinars, question and answer (Q&A) sessions, and discussion posts.

Methods: This study explored the programmatic considerations most important to R2R community members through a content analysis of webinar Q&A sessions and related discussions. We used deductive coding for segments of text related to implementation strategies (Powell et al 2015; Wang 2016) and intervention adaptation (Wiltsey-Stirman et al, 2012), and inductive coding to explore thematic patterns from participants’ questions. This coding schema was applied to 62 transcripts of webinar presentations (Q&A section only) and the related online discussions over a 6-year period (2010-2016).

Findings: Several themes emerged from the content analysis, including queries around institutional support, sustainability, tools and resources. Community members requested additional information from presenters about contextual variables of research studies (e.g., the role of partnerships in implementing disease prevention and public health initiatives) as well as evidence-based programs. Practitioners consistently sought to better understand variables that made an intervention effective and sought guidance on the most appropriate implementation strategies for their projects.

Implications for D&I Research: While a number of resources are designed to implement evidence-based health programs, the strategies and programmatic considerations most salient to practitioners are difficult to elicit but essential to address. These data highlight additional information researchers should include in their intervention presentations, summaries and publications when communicating with practitioners. By addressing the priority concerns of practitioners, researchers can to improve communication and enhance the actual, widespread implementation of promising public health interventions across jurisdictions.