Tailoring innovations to the local context: A social marketing method for knowledge dissemination

Description

This method uses a case study to describe a knowledge dissemination model based on social marketing and diffusion theory principles. This approach looks to bridge the evidence-practice gap to increase the use of research findings in clinical practice. The steps in the process help to tailor the innovation to facilitate implementation.

The steps used include conducting focus groups with target systems (practitioners and program managers) and communities to assess program relevancy, and field testing the innovation to adapt it before full program dissemination and implementation.

The dissemination model is based on social marketing, which involves applying commercial marketing and advertising methods to promote non-commercial services, ideas or products for the public good. There are four stages in social marketing:

• Market analysis involves identifying the needs, characteristics and boundaries of the target audience.
• Market segmentation subdivides the target group using relevant characteristics to help tailor the dissemination strategy to their specific needs.
• Market strategy involves developing and implementing a dissemination plan where the product characteristics and communication strategies are appropriate for the target audience.
• Evaluation involves soliciting structured, formalized feedback about the social marketing process from the target group.

The developers of this method also draw on diffusion of innovations theory (Rogers 1983). In this theory, an innovation is communicated over time through channels by members within an organization. The decision to adopt an innovation moves through various stages, from knowledge (having an awareness of the innovation), to persuasion (forming attitudes about the innovation) and making a decision (to adopt or reject the innovation), to implementation and confirmation (seeking approval for sustaining implementation).

This method identifies five steps for knowledge dissemination:

1. Assess market opportunities and identify the target system.
2. Engage the target system.
3. Field test the intervention.
4. Disseminate and implement the innovation.
5. Gather system feedback and provide ongoing consultation.

Steps for Using Method/Tool

The dissemination method consists of five steps.

1) Assess market opportunities and identify the target system.

• Establish an advisory committee to identify the target system and facilitate access to relevant target agencies. Ideally, the committee will identify target agencies where the innovation is ideally suited (representing a good organizational fit) and will have the greatest impact.
• Conduct focus groups with practitioners to determine the perceived need for the innovation in the community and to identify relevant target agencies for dissemination and implementation.

2) Engage the target system.

• Identify and partner with key stakeholders and opinion leaders in the selected target agencies.
• Use a consultative approach to foster credibility with respect to competence (technical knowledge and expertise) and safety (trustworthiness and lack of a hidden agenda) with management and staff at target agencies.

3) Field test the intervention.

• Pilot test the intervention in target agencies that meet selection criteria (p. 1708 of the method).
• Develop a training plan to facilitate pilot testing.
• Assess intervention effectiveness through evaluation of field test sites.
• Make changes to the intervention based on evaluation data.

4) Disseminate and implement the innovation.

• Disseminate the intervention and provide support for implementation.

5) Gather system feedback and provide ongoing consultation.

• Monitor innovation implementation.
• Disseminate evaluation findings as a way to share learning and build on successes.
• Identify opportunities to assist in transforming the intervention into routine practice.

Evaluation

The developers evaluated the effectiveness of this method using a case study. Twelve months after disseminating the research-based treatments to target agencies, 68% of 34 agencies had implemented the interventions in their entirety to at least one client, and 85% of agencies were implementing some component of the interventions with clients. However, the developers note that the case study treatments met a well-established need in the addiction treatment system in Ontario, which may have contributed to the overall effectiveness of this dissemination method. Also, given the exploratory nature of the study (lack of comparison group), factors other than the dissemination model may have contributed to the model's effectiveness.