50 Assessing the impact of niosh occupational motor vehicle safety research

Abstract

The ultimate purpose of violence and injury research is to make positive impacts on the public’s safety. Documenting these impacts is challenging, especially since research is just one of many inputs that influence policy, the environment, and behaviour. Nonetheless, research agencies and researchers are increasingly being called upon to demonstrate the impact of their work, going beyond traditional metrics such as numbers of journal article citations. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently developed a framework for documenting science impacts, adapted from the Institute of Medicine Degrees of Impact framework. The CDC Science Impact Framework uses a combination of narrative, quantitative, and qualitative Methods to document and trace linkages between science and the events and actions that ultimately lead to public health impacts. Starting with a significant output (such as a seminal paper or technological innovation), the framework is used either prospectively or retrospectively to document and demonstrate linkages across five levels of influence: disseminating science, creating awareness, catalysing action, effecting change, and shaping the future. This presentation will illustrate how the CDC Science Impact Framework was applied to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research program on occupational motor vehicle safety. Motor vehicles are a leading cause of death and injury at work, and the occupational setting provides unique opportunities for intervention, including influencing employer policies and practices, guidance and materials used by unions and occupational safety professionals, and the design and use of engineering controls on unique work vehicles (e.g. tractor-trailers, fire trucks, and ambulances). This presentation will provide examples of how impacts were traced from key NIOSH documents containing evidence-based policy recommendations and other NIOSH research findings. It will also include lessons learned from this exercise in terms of maximising future impact. Disclaimer The findings and conclusions in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIOSH.