Disseminating interventions using systems thinking

Description

This method offers a conceptual framework to disseminate interventions using systems thinking. It is based on the Gatehouse Project, a school-based intervention designed to promote health and emotional well-being by supporting changes in the school environment and at the individual level. For this method, dissemination involved using an ecological and systems approach to understand and enhance relationships and context to effect school-wide change.

Systems thinking involves understanding and building on relationships and changing contexts (political, cultural, etc.) to bring about change. For more information on systems thinking and case examples of using a systems approach for knowledge translation, click here. Figure 1 illustrates mutiple contextual factors influencing dissemination activities in school settings.

Key learnings from the Gatehouse Project include:

• Use an ecological perspective early in planning by identifying factors and strategies at multiple levels, including individuals, small groups, the school and broader contexts.
• Dissemination is not a linear, one-way transfer, but rather a connecting web or learning space where participants interact and share knowledge.
• Foster partnerships with stakeholders, including inter-sectoral partnerships between education and health.
• The intervention will be shaped and influenced by factors in the local school context.
• Dissemination of the intervention will also be influenced by contextual factors.

The model identifies the following components, and their inter-relationships, which influence dissemination planning (additional tools are identified for appropriate components):

• Intervention development: researchers and program developers
• Relationships
• Participants/audience: see Engaging stakeholders: A planning tool
• Dissemination decisions: see Knowledge Translation Planning Primer
• Broader context, including community values, organizational context: see A&T tool

The Gatehouse Project dissemination program was designed to:

• bridge gaps between research and practice and between health and education;
• contribute to health promotion that supports education goals and practices;
• build capacity of groups and individuals to promote health and well-being; and
• lead to changed practices in individuals and schools.

With this in mind, the authors identify eight different ways of disseminating information, each with its own strengths and limitations (see Table 1), with six key points for planning for dissemination, no matter which medium is chosen.

Steps for Using Method/Tool

No matter which method(s) is chosen, the authors outline six key points for planning dissemination of school-based health promotion interventions:

1. Start planning early.
2. Consider a range of strategies for a range of participants and partners.
3. Understand school change and teacher learning process.
4. Consider what all the participants bring to the work.
5. Pay attention to the relationships and processes as well as the work.
6. Understand and monitor the broader context.