The traditional method of dissemination utilizes Lunch and Learn sessions, a form of “active diffusion” that often involve presentations and educational material distribution. They are especially useful for keeping providers and staff up to date in busy medical clinics and for teaching medical students supplementary education. What if the intervention or tool your research team created is more complicated than a simple worksheet? What if a traditional lunch and learn is insufficient for a large scale intervention? Our proposed solution: the Facilitator-Led, participant OWned (FLOW) approach – a participatory method that engages a site facilitator from the research team with practice managers, provider champion, and health coach to ensure better uptake of the intervention.
One unique characteristic of the FLOW approach to dissemination is its adaptability. The process of implementing the asthma shared decision making toolkit can be tailored specifically to fit clinic A and changed again to suit clinic B. The FLOW approach to dissemination may be a more effective way to incorporate shared decision making into practices by helping providers overcome traditional implementation barriers and has the potential for greater sustainability by considering unique practice characteristics.