AHRQ's Dissemination and Implementation Initiative

Nominations

AHRQ is seeking nominations of promising patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) findings with the potential to improve patient health outcomes for future dissemination and implementation activities.

PCOR compares the impact of two or more preventive, diagnostic, treatment, or health care delivery approaches on health outcomes, including those that are meaningful to patients.

AHRQ will prioritize and fund the most promising projects for wide dissemination and implementation in clinical practice. Researchers, PCOR funders, professional societies, health care providers, and others may submit nominations. Nominations already submitted are publicly available on the PCOR Findings Nominated for Consideration page.

The purpose of this nomination process is not to propose new topics for research. For more information on AHRQ’s current priorities and funding available for research, please go to AHRQ’s funding and grants page. For questions on the PCOR selection process, go to Frequently Asked Questions.

The Nomination Assessment Process

Step 1: Receive Nominations

Anyone can submit a nomination, including researchers, consumers, or organizations.
Submit nominations here.
Read the list of nominations that have been submitted here.
For questions, contact ahrqimplements@ahrq.hhs.gov.

All nominations are reviewed in Step 2.

Step 2: Review Against Minimum Criteria

Each nomination must:

Fit the definition for PCOR:

Patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) compares the impact of two or more preventive, diagnostic, treatment, or health care delivery approaches on health outcomes, including those that are meaningful to patients.

Be supported by peer-reviewed research.

Nominations that meet minimum criteria move to Step 3.

Step 3: Assess Evidence and Impact

Each nomination that meets minimum criteria is assessed for:

Strength of evidence:
- Evidence quality (such as study design and risk of bias).
- Consistency with body of evidence.
Potential impact on patient-centered outcomes:
- Consistency with (or difference from) current practice.
- Degree of impact on health outcomes and health care delivery.
- Impact on disparities or subgroups.

Nominations that have higher strength of evidence and impact move to Step 4.

Step 4: Assess Feasibility

Each nomination with good evidence and impact is assessed for feasibility.

Considerations:
- Evidence supporting implementation.
- Generalizability, adaptability, and ease of achieving fidelity to intervention.
- Acceptability to the implementers/organizations and fit with organizational capabilities.
- Aligned with AHRQ’s mission.

Nominations that have higher feasibility will move to Step 5.

Step 5: Explore Implementation Approaches

AHRQ staff convenes stakeholders to assess current implementation issues, relevant approaches, and strategies, settings, and populations.
Considerations:
- Potential to complement and not duplicate other D&I investments.
- Preferred strategies for implementing the nomination:
  - Comprehensive, multi-pronged approaches as opposed to
  - Targeted, systems-level approaches.
Range of dissemination and implementation activities possible.

Nominations with an identified approach will move to funding consideration in Step 6.

Step 6: Support Investment

AHRQ selects PCOR initiatives for investment through grants and contracts.
Considerations:
- Available funding.
- Agency priorities.
- Potential for implementation support by other partners.

Funded initiatives will move to implementation and evaluation in Step 7.

Step 7: Evaluate Projects

Each funded project must include an evaluation plan to:
- Measure change in practice.
- Measure health outcomes.
The project should add to the knowledge and science of implementation.
Evaluation will provide feedback on AHRQ investments.

Page last reviewed May 2017
Page originally created October 2016

Internet Citation: AHRQ's Dissemination and Implementation Initiative. Content last reviewed May 2017. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/pcor/ahrq-dissemination-and-implementation-initiative/index.html