About the National Initiative for Promoting Evidence-Based Health Information

The National Initiative for Promoting Evidence-based Health Information pursues three primary goals:

• Raise awareness of the benefits of evidence-based health care information produced through patient-centered outcomes research
• Highlight AHRQ’s leadership in the field of developing and translating patient-centered outcomes research
• Disseminate AHRQ’s Effective Health Care (EHC) Program research findings and tools to enhance decisionmaking and improve patient outcomes

The National Initiative pursues these goals through media and marketing, national partnerships, and virtual centers.

• Media and Marketing. National multimedia campaigns and marketing activities promote using evidence-based health information in health care decisionmaking. Efforts include marketing the latest research findings and EHC Program products, as well as campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of using patient-centered outcomes research in health care decisionmaking among consumers and health professionals. Promotional channels include traditional and social media, public service announcements, and meetings and events.
• National Partnerships. The Initiative develops partner relationships with national health professional and consumer organizations to reach AHRQ’s primary audiences and increase dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research in decisionmaking. A component of this effort is creating an online space for partners to obtain information and access EHC Program resources. The National Initiative will secure a minimum of 100 partnerships by 2013.
• Virtual Centers. Customized portals on consumer and health professional Web sites will connect visitors to the EHC Program Web site and encourage using EHC Program products and materials. The first virtual centers are expected to launch by mid-2012. The scale will range from Web banners to a multipage presence on Web sites.

A Coordinated Effort in Translation, Dissemination, and Implementation

To complement the evidence translation and dissemination efforts undertaken by the John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science, funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are supporting four dissemination and implementation projects from September 2010 to September 2013: The National Initiative for Promoting Evidence-Based Health Information, Regional Partnership Development Offices, Online Continuing Education, and Academic Detailing. In addition, a separate Systematic Dissemination Program Evaluation project not only develops metrics and collects data for measuring the impact of each project, but also provides continuous feedback for ongoing project improvements. The National Initiative for Promoting Evidence-based Health Information contract was awarded to Ogilvy Public Relations.

Building on the translation products developed by the Eisenberg Center, these projects enhance the Effective Health Care Program’s capacity to promote the use of evidence-based health information and improve health care outcomes. Target audiences include consumers, patients, and caregivers; individual clinicians and their professional organizations; hospitals and integrated health systems; businesses and business organizations; academicians and researchers; Quality Improvement Organizations; policymakers; and advocates for better patient care. Special emphasis is placed on reaching priority populations, including minorities, seniors, low-income individuals, and people with limited access to health care.