Dissemination Plan For Chlamydia Research Results

Chlamydia infections among 14-18 years women are escalating at an unprecedented rate in the US and other parts of the world (Miller, 2004). Consequently, this recent trend has caught the attention of health scholars and researchers, and the burgeoning studies affirm this impression. However, in spite of this recording of extensive and myriad studies, a wide gap persists between research and actual health action (Wilson, 2010). According to Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (n.d.), most studies are carried out without a proper dissemination plan such that, most research findings are just gathering dust across the various libraries around the world. The fact that Chlamydia continues to inflict on these risky groups at unprecedented rates indicates that the community, primary care officials and other stakeholders are not appropriately informed about the mutilating effects of Chlamydia.

On the same note, Waddell (2002) underscores that in spite of the increasing volumes of health research evidence, the efforts of these researchers often go to waste because their findings are rarely adopted in practice, due to slow and reduced dissemination efforts. Furthermore, the latter author appends that dissemination problems are not unique to health care, but myriad literature in various disciplines indicate that research findings are frequently underutilized in decision making, and some of them may never get the attention of significant stakeholders. Most importantly, Waddell (2002) accentuates that the dissemination problem is notoriously acute in health care disciplines. Against this background, it is evident that there is a dire need for proper dissemination plans before embarking on any form of research. On this notion, this report will highlight some dissemination strategies that would ensure that research findings of “Chlamydia among ethnic group ages 14- 18 in Miami Dade FL” are dispatched to the relevant stakeholders.

However, before developing dissemination programs, Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (n.d.) underscore that the process should begin by proper identification of the target audience. On this notion, Chlamydia research findings will target the 14-18-year-old who is considered as the risky group for this condition (Miller, 2004). Moreover, the findings will be communicated to primary care stakeholders to ensure that recommendations are put into practice. According to Miller (2004), primary care is very essential for the prevention and early intervention of Chlamydia infections.

Correspondingly, it is imperative to mention that the means of dissemination outlined below are not mutually exclusive as a single study can adopt various methods. To begin with, Wilson (2010) accentuates that conferences symposiums provide an excellent podium for sharing results. Moreover, if the results under consideration are new or interim, the scientific community can have a great opportunity to discuss result findings (Wilson, 2010). As a matter of fact, during these forums researchers have the opportunity to answer questions from like-minded persons and any discrepancies can be addressed immediately. Secondly, the results of this study can be published in peer-reviewed journals where they are easily accessible to like-minded peers. The peers have the opportunity to validate methodology and interpretation of results to ensure that only authentic results are put into practice (Community Alliance for Research and Engagement, n.d). Furthermore, peer-reviewed journals and symposiums have the capability of reaching a wide academic and primary care audience, thus the implementation of results findings is likely to be affected. On the same note, mass media releases will be adopted in order to disseminate information to the identified group. The releases can be disseminated through numerous media platforms such as televisions, newspapers, and most importantly on the internet to ensure that the susceptible individuals are made aware of Chlamydia. Finally, the results will be disseminated through public forums to ensure that community groups are fully involved in the development of prevention and screening programs.

References

Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE). (n.d). Beyond Scientific Publication: Strategies for Disseminating Research Findings. Web.

Miller, W.C. et al. (2004). Prevalence of chlamydial and gonococcal infections among young adults in the United States. JAMA, 291(18): 2229–2236.

Waddell, C. (2002). So much research evidence, so little dissemination and uptake: mixing the useful with the pleasing. Evidence Based Nursing 5(2): 38-40.

Wilson, P. M. (2010). Disseminating research findings: what should researchers do? A systematic scoping review of conceptual frameworks. Implementation Science, 5:91- 95.