Dissemination Of Policies Research Articles

Introduction to the Special Issue on Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Improving Recovery, Community Integration, and Quality of Life of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness

Psychiatric rehabilitation encompasses three overarching goals: recovery, community integration, and quality of life. These goals set the precedent for providing treatment and care to individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). Recovery from SMI is a process. This process involves empowerment, self-determination, hope, and meaningful life roles for the individual with SMI. Rehabilitation counselors and allied professionals should assist in the process to the extent needed and desired by their clients. Through this partnership, individuals with SMI can begin to see improved psychiatric rehabilitation outcomes.Individuals with SMI experience the poorest rehabilitation outcomes when compared to all other disability groups (e.g., physical, sensory, cognitive). This may be because rehabilitation professionals have traditionally worked with people with non-psychiatric disabilities, and thus more is known about what works for them. Or it may be that individuals with SMI require more resources. Regardless of the reason, it is imperative that rehabilitation professionals are able to improve the rehabilitation outcomes of individuals with SMI, as they become a growing, and often time-intensive, part of their ever-growing caseloads. Disability and rehabilitation journals have targeted individuals with SMI as a population in need with their publications. For example, the Journal of Rehabilitation published a special issue focused on emerging issues within psychiatric rehabilitation (MacDonald-Wilson, McReynolds, & Accordino, 2009), and that same year, the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling published a special issue addressing subpopulations within psychiatric rehabilitation (McReynolds, Accordino, & MacDonaldWilson, 2009). Further noting the importance of this topic and the need for continual dissemination of information, Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education recently allowed for a special issue on psychiatric rehabilitation as well (Koch, Carey, & Lusk, 2016). The National Rehabilitation Counseling Association saw the need for additional research related to psychiatric rehabilitation and approved the current Special Issue of the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling to address recovery, community integration, and quality of life of individuals with SMI. In attempts to provide options and suggestions for improving psychiatric rehabilitation outcomes, this Special Issue will provide readers with information on the following general themes: (a) community integration, (b) physical and mental health and wellness, (c) vocational competency, (d) social support, and (e) acceptance of disability.The first article examines an instrument designed to capture community participation in individuals with SMI. Sanchez, Chan et al. (2016) validated an abbreviated and modified version of the Independent Living Skills Survey-Self Report (ILSS-SR; Wallace, Liberman, Tauber, & Wallace, 2000), the R-ILSS-SR. The authors discuss the relevant implications of their findings, and of the utility of the R-ILSS-SR in psychiatric rehabilitation treatment. In addition, Sanchez, Chan and colleagues investigated correlations between subscales of the ILSS-SR (R-ILSS-SR) and known predictors of community integration and participation, including social skills, resilience, social support, cognitive dysfunction, symptoms, and diagnosis. Results were found in the expected directions; social skills, resilience, and social support were positive predictors of participation, while cognitive dysfunction, symptoms, and diagnosis appeared to hinder participation. Furthermore, the authors suggest practical application of psychiatric rehabilitation techniques that can be incorporated to improve participation, thus improving recovery among individuals with SMI.In the second article, Bezyak, Clark, Chiu, Chan, and Testerman (2016) reported information collected via a comprehensive needs assessment from individuals with SMI. …

Spreading the word: Dissemination of research ethics education, policies and practices in Bolivia

Spreading the word: Dissemination of research ethics education, policies and practices in Bolivia

Infusing Science into Politics and Policy: The Importance of Legislators as an Audience in Mental Health Policy Dissemination Research.

Legislators (i.e., elected Senators and House Representatives at the federal- and state-level) are a critically important dissemination audience because they shape the architecture of the US mental health system through budgetary and regulatory decisions. In this Point of View, we argue that legislators are a neglected audience in mental health dissemination research. We synthesize relevant research, discuss its potential implications for dissemination efforts, identify challenges, and outline areas for future study.

Lessons Learned From Dissemination of Evidence-Based Interventions for HIV Prevention.

In 1999, IOM issued a report that recommended that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should disseminate evidence-based HIV prevention interventions (EBIs) to be implemented by health departments, community-based organizations, drug treatment centers, and clinics. Based on these recommendations, the Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions Project was initiated in 2000 and began disseminating interventions into public health practice. For 15 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has disseminated 29 EBIs to more than 11,300 agencies. Lessons were identified during the 15 years of implementation regarding successful methods of dissemination of EBIs. Lessons around selecting interventions for dissemination, developing a dissemination infrastructure including a resource website (https://effectiveinterventions.cdc.gov), and engagement with stakeholders are discussed. A continuous development approach ensured that intervention implementation materials, instructions, and technical assistance were all tailored to the needs of end users, focus populations, and agency capacities. Six follow-up studies demonstrated that adopters of EBIs were able to obtain comparable outcomes to those of the original efficacy research. The Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions Project may offer guidance for other large, national, evidence-based public health dissemination projects.

Responding to the Grand Challenge to End Homelessness: The National Homelessness Social Work Initiative

The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare adopted ending homelessness as one of its 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work. The National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services supports this Grand Challenge through its National Homelessness Social Work Initiative. This initiative is being carried out through a consortium of schools of social work nationally, emphasizing workforce development and policy advocacy. This major, multiyear initiative applies innovative strategies to service and policy design and social work education. This article describes the overall mission of the Homelessness Initiative and key activities used to strengthen social work curriculum, expand homelessness-related field placement opportunities for students, and impact services through the policy advocacy and dissemination of best practices.

Long-term assignment reward (dis)satisfaction outcomes: hearing women’s voices

Purpose – Drawing upon compensating differentials, equity theory, and the psychological contract, women’s voices illustrate how organisational policy dissemination, implementation and change can lead to unintended assignee dissatisfaction with reward. Implications arise for organisational justice which can affect women’s future expatriation decisions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study methodology was employed. Reward policies for long-term international assignments (IAs) were analysed. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted confidentially with 21 female long-term assignees selected using stratified sampling, and with two managers responsible for international reward policy design/implementation. Findings – Policy transparency is required. Women perceive inequity when allowances based on grade are distorted by family status. Women in dual career/co-working couples expect reward to reflect their expatriate status. Reward inequity is reported linked to specific home/host country transfers. Policy change reducing housing and children’s education are major causes of reward dissatisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This case study research was cross-sectional and set within one industry. It addressed reward outcomes only for long-term IAs from the perspectives of women who had accepted expatriation in two oil and gas firms. Practical implications – Reward policy should be transparent. Practitioners might consider the inter-relationship between policy elements depending on grade and accompanied status, location pairings, and the effects of policy content delivery to dual career/co-working couples. Originality/value – This paper advances the field of IA reward by examining compensating differentials, equity and the psychological contract and takes these forward via implications for organisational justice. It identifies reward elements that support women’s expatriation and address their low share of expatriate roles, thereby fostering gender diversity. Future research themes are presented.

NATO’S adoption of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security: Making the agenda a reality

International security institutions play a pivotal role in the realisation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda through their adoption and implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. This article examines NATO’s adoption of UNSCR 1325, drawing upon Cynthia Enloe’s conception of NATO as a ‘teaching machine’ disseminating lessons on gender. In doing so, it finds UNSCR 1325 has been understood to be of ‘added-value’ to the Alliance in two respects: first, to support NATO’s long-established agenda to increase the representation of women in NATO forces; second, as a tool to increase operational effectiveness. I find that NATO’s adoption of UNSCR 1325 emerged as part of a counter discourse. The fact that this counter discourse was put forward by partner states challenges dominant understandings of the direction of policy dissemination within NATO. This case provides salient lessons on the opportunities for – and hindrances to – change through the pursuit of a feminist agenda within an international security institution.

Trends of Pulses Production, Consumption and Import in India: Current Scenario And Strategies

Though India is the largest producer (around 25% of global production), it however, consumes 27% and imports around 14% of its pulses requirements. The yield of pulses in India is quite low at 781 kg/ha which might be due to policy neglect. The post green revolution era saw a sharp decline in per capita production and availability of pulses with record 4.0 million tones imports of pulses in 2012-13. Bihar is one of the important pulse growing state of India with productivity of 839.3 Kg/ha in 2010-11 which is projected to attain 1461.3 kg/ha by 2050-51, highest in eastern India. With nearly 2.2 million ha of rice fallows, a small technological intervention can transform the rice- fallow to rice-gram or rice-lentil system bringing about pulse revolution. Need is to diversify from cereal–based cropping systems to pulses-based cropping system with certain policy decision like identification of additional rice fallow lands largely in Eastern India, crop diversification, improving seed replacement rate, improved crop production techniques etc. Provisions should be made for easy credit, insurance, attractive Minimum Support Price (MSP) with procurement and appropriate incentives for pulse producers as well as creating necessary infrastructure for processing, marketing and value-addition. This paper analyses status of pulse crop in India as whole and Bihar in particular along with paradigm shift required in policy decision, pulse research, technology generation and dissemination, commercialization along with capacity building of farmers and frontier areas of research and extension.

A Randomized Trial Testing the Effect of Narrative Vignettes Versus Guideline Summaries on Provider Response to a Professional Organization Clinical Policy for Safe Opioid Prescribing

Clinical guidelines are known to be underused by practitioners. In response to the challenges of treating pain amid a prescription opioid epidemic, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) published an evidence-based clinical policy for opioid prescribing in 2012. Evidence-based narratives, an effective method of communicating health information in a variety of settings, offer a novel strategy for disseminating guidelines to physicians and engaging providers with clinical evidence. We compare whether narrative vignettes embedded in the ACEP daily e-newsletter improved dissemination of the clinical policy to ACEP members, and engagement of members with the clinical policy, compared with traditional summary text. A prospective randomized controlled study, titled Stories to Promote Information Using Narrative trial, was performed. Derived from qualitative interviews with 61 ACEP physicians, 4 narrative vignettes were selected and refined, using a consensus panel of clinical and implementation experts. All ACEP members were then block randomized by state of residence to receive alternative versions of a daily e-mailed newsletter for a total of 24 days during a 9-week period. Narrative newsletters contained a selection of vignettes that referenced opioid prescription dilemmas. Control newsletters contained a selection of descriptive text about the clinical policy, using length and appearance similar to that of the narrative vignettes. Embedded in the newsletters were Web links to the complete vignette or traditional summary text, as well as additional links to the full ACEP clinical policy and a Web site providing assistance with prescription drug monitoring program enrollment. The newsletters were otherwise identical. Outcomes measured were the percentage of subjects who visited any of the Web pages that contained additional guideline-related information and the odds of any unique physician visiting these Web pages during the study. There were 27,592 physicians randomized, and 21,226 received the newsletter during the study period. When each physician was counted once during the study period, there were 509 unique visitors in the narrative group and 173 unique visitors in the control group (4.8% versus 1.6%; difference 3.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7% to 3.7%). There were 744 gross visits from the e-newsletter to any of the 3 Web pages in the narrative group compared with 248 in the control group (7.0% versus 2.3%; odds ratio 3.2; 95% CI 2.7 to 3.6). During the study, the odds ratio of any physician in the narrative group visiting one of the 3 informational Web sites compared with the control group was 3.1 (95% CI 2.6 to 3.6). Among a national sample of emergency physicians, narrative vignettes outperformed traditional guideline text in promoting engagement with an evidence-based clinical guideline related to opioid prescriptions.

The need for operational research and capacity-building in support of the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.

The need for operational research and capacity-building in support of the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030.

Book Review of "Academic Capitalism in the Age of Globalization"

Cantwell, Brendan & Kauppinen, Ilkka (Eds.) (2014). Academic Capitalism in the Age of Globalization. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Pages: 296. Price: 34.95 USD (paper).Academic Capitalism in the Age of Globalization acts as a scholarly interrogation of the theory and practice of academic capitalism within the context of globalization. Brendan Cantwell and Ilkka Kauppinen assemble an international team of leading scholars that reexamine the theory of academic capitalism and analyze the intersection of academic capitalism and globalization. Drawing on scholarship from Sheila Slaughter, Larry Leslie, and Gary Rhoades, the text situates various aspects of higher education - student recruitment, classroom instruction, faculty research, administrative governance, and the control of intellectual property - within a political economy consequent to the market and state. The authors explore how institutions and the political economy are interrelated, referencing key categories such as time, academic labour, and knowledge as a commodity within different (inter-) national settings.Cantwell and Kauppinen (Chapter 1) extend, refine, and challenge research and practice associated with academic capitalism and outline two recent and significant contributions to scholarship in academic capitalism theory. First, the authors present a conceptual framework to study the shift in institutional policy from public to private welfare and competitive regimes. Second, they offer methodological tools for tracking (re-) formation of interconnectedness in postsecondary institutions, considering intellectuals, institutions, and networks. The authors explore academic capitalism within the context of knowledge-driven economies as both a concept and analytic tool. Discourse throughout the text draws on classical Marxian and Weberian thought and Foucauldian notions of government and regime and globalization theory.Slaughter (Chapter 2) assesses the explanatory power of academic capitalism within the context of globalization - a thought project on how elite United States institutions are networked with global actors. Slaughter examines how knowledge actors shape, and are shaped by, various global flows and contexts. She argues that networks are new forms of governance; and policy entrepreneurship is a way of examining the role of agency in policy creation and dissemination - and ultimately network legitimization.Jussi Valimaa (Chapter 3) situates academic capitalism within a broad historical context - from medieval European roots to contemporary globally networked postsecondary institutions. Valimaa reinforces the shift in institutional and individual roles in global knowledge production and dissemination. This is especially prevalent during university revolutions (p. 33) when knowledge producers have been challenged by novel ideas, technologies and polices. He emphasizes administrative roles in the context of academic work, organizational structure, and relationships to society, and the influence of technology in knowledge production and work within academia. The establishment of a knowledge-networked society (Valimaa, 2012) promotes open access to knowledge.Judith Walker (Chapter 4) focuses on academic capitalism and time. This perspective opens new means of theorizing academic capitalism as a temporal, structural and behavioral process. Walker cites massive open online courses (MOOCs), which appear uncapitalistic - almost entirely free and for no credit, but embody the tenet of post-Fordist, neoliberal academic capitalism - entrepreneurial in sprit and based on a partnership model. Modern global capitalism has moved from industrial production based economies to service and knowledge based economies. This is due to developments in technological innovations and changes in capitalism and the rise of global outcomes.Chapter 5 examines technology transfer and intellectual property. Jacob H. Rooksby and Brian Pusser discuss how academic capitalism and technology transfer expose institutions to increased financial risk and revenue generation. …

Policy analysis for deciding on a malaria vaccine RTS,S in Tanzania.

BackgroundTraditionally, it has taken decades to introduce new interventions in low-income countries. Several factors account for these delays, one of which is the absence of a framework to facilitate comprehensive understanding of policy process to inform policy makers and stimulate the decision-making process. In the case of the proposed introduction of malaria vaccines in Tanzania, a specific framework for decision-making will speed up the administrative process and shorten the time until the vaccine is made available to the target population.MethodsQualitative research was used as a basis for developing the Policy Framework. Interviews were conducted with government officials, bilateral and multilateral partners and other stakeholders in Tanzania to assess malaria treatment policy changes and to draw lessons for malaria vaccine adoption.ResultsThe decision-making process for adopting malaria interventions and new vaccines in general takes years, involving several processes: meetings and presentations of scientific data from different studies with consistent results, packaging and disseminating evidence and getting approval for use by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW). It is influenced by contextual factors; Promoting factors include; epidemiological and intervention characteristics, country experiences of malaria treatment policy change, presentation and dissemination of evidence, coordination and harmonization of the process, use of international scientific evidence. Barriers factors includes; financial sustainability, competing health and other priorities, political will and bureaucratic procedures, costs related to the adoption and implementations of interventions, supply and distribution and professional compliance with anti-malarial drugs.ConclusionThe framework facilitates the synthesis of information in a coherent way, enabling a clearer understanding of the policy process, thereby speeding up the policy decision-making process and shortening the time for a malaria vaccine to become available.

School policies on bullying and cyberbullying: perspectives across three Australian states

Background: Despite decades of research, bullying in all its forms is still a significant problem within schools in Australia, as it is internationally. Anti-bullying policies and guidelines are thought to be one strategy as part of a whole school approach to reduce bullying. However, although Australian schools are required to have these policies, their effectiveness is not clear. As policies and guidelines about bullying and cyberbullying are developed within education departments, this paper explores the perspectives of those who are involved in their construction. Purpose: This study examined the perspectives of professionals involved in policy construction, across three different Australian states. The aim was to determine how their relative jurisdictions define bullying and cyberbullying, the processes for developing policy, the bullying prevention and intervention recommendations given to schools and the content considered essential in current policies. Sample: Eleven key stakeholders from three Australian states with similar education systems were invited to participate. The sample selection criteria included professionals with experience and training in education, cyber-safety and the responsibility to contribute to or make decisions which inform policy in this area for schools in their state. Design and methods: Participants were interviewed about the definitions of bullying they used in their state policy frameworks; the extent to which cyberbullying was included; and the content they considered essential for schools to include in anti-bullying policies. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. Findings: Seven themes were identified in the data: (1) Definition of bullying and cyberbullying; (2) Existence of a policy template; (3) Policy location; (4) Adding cyberbullying; (5) Distinguishing between bullying and cyberbullying; (6) Effective policy; and (7) Policy as a prevention or intervention tool. The results were similar both across state boundaries and also across different disciplines. Conclusion: Analysis of the data suggested that, across the themes, there was some lack of information about bullying and cyberbullying. This limitation could affect the subsequent development, dissemination and sustainability of school anti-bullying policies, which have implications for the translation of research to inform better student outcomes.

Trends of Pulses Production, Consumption and Import in India: Current Scenario and Strategies

Though India is the largest producer (around 25% of global production), it however, consumes 27% and imports around 14% of its pulses requirements. The yield of pulses in India is quite low at 781 kg/ha which might be due to policy neglect. The post green revolution era saw a sharp decline in per capita production and availability of pulses with record 4.0 million tones imports of pulses in 2012-13. Bihar is one of the important pulse growing state of India with productivity of 839.3 Kg/ha in 2010-11 which is projected to attain 1461.3 kg/ha by 2050-51, highest in eastern India. With nearly 2.2 million ha of rice fallows, a small technological intervention can transform the rice- fallow to rice-gram or rice-lentil system bringing about pulse revolution. Need is to diversify from cereal–based cropping systems to pulses-based cropping system with certain policy decision like identification of additional rice fallow lands largely in Eastern India, crop diversification, improving seed replacement rate, improved crop production techniques etc. Provisions should be made for easy credit, insurance, attractive Minimum Support Price (MSP) with procurement and appropriate incentives for pulse producers as well as creating necessary infrastructure for processing, marketing and value-addition. This paper analyses status of pulse crop in India as whole and Bihar in particular along with paradigm shift required in policy decision, pulse research, technology generation and dissemination, commercialization along with capacity building of farmers and frontier areas of research and extension.

ANALISIS EKONOMI USAHA PENANGKAPAN DAN PEMASARAN KEPITING BAKAU (Scylla serrata) DI DESA MUARA BADAK ILIR KECAMATAN MUARA BADAK KABUPATEN KUTAI KARTANEGARA

The study aims to: (1) analyze estimated profit of mangrove crab fishery at Muara Badak Ilir Village, Muara Badak Subdistrict Kutai Kartanegara Regency; (2) determine marketing channel and efficiency of mangrove crab fishery in the studied area and (3) know main problems faced by crab fishermen related to the ban policy to the capture of mature female and the specified crab species in the area.
 Results showed that the estimated profit of crab fisher was Rp 7.920.607,14,- /month. In addition, the estimated profit achieved by crab middleman was calculated as Rp 9.682.444,44,-/month. Marketing institutions those involved in the crab business in the village level were fishermen, middlemen and local consumers while retailers, wholesaler, exporter and national and foreign consumers are the remaining institutions those run out of the village. Margin level both fisher and middleman was determined Rp 4.700 with the marketing efficiency level was 86% meaning that the crab market was efficient. The main problems found in the field were the following: the lack of information regarding the ban policy, fishermen faced the increased income due to this policy, the fishermen’sdilemma onthe utilization of the mature female crabs as the natural resources and the lack of policy dissemination to the coastal community concerning the capture ban of mature and the specified crabs.
 Key words: Economic Analysis, Fishery, Marketing, Mangrove Crab, Muara Badak Ilir

ENHANCING THE PARTICIPATION OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES AT THE BRIDGE WATER SUPPLY PROJECT IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY, KENYA

affects livelihoods, health and the fulfillment of basic needs of women and men. Women and men as the users of water resources need to be involved in the management of water resource. This can effectively be done with proper strategies to mainstream gender in all the management undertaking at the community level. This study sought to investigate on the participation of men and women and strategies to enhance gender mainstreaming in the management of water resources at the Bridge Water Project which had drilled 123 boreholes for use in households, learning and religious institutions in Kakamega County. The study was a case study guided by the equity theory developed by John Stacy Adams in 1963. 10% samples of 13 out of the 123 committees that manage the boreholes were randomly selected as respondents to the study. They include 5 household committees, 6 learning and 2 committees from religious institutions. Key informants were heads of selected institutions and the chief of the location where the study was undertaken. The instruments used to collect data were Questionnaires, Focused Group Discussion, Interview Schedule and Observation. Data collected was cross-tabulated for qualitative analysis. The study established that women were discriminated against in terms of participation in management committees despite the fact that they were the main water users. On the basis of strategies, the study identified training and awareness creation on the need for gender equity, dissemination of the affirmative action policy, empowerment and mobilization of women to seek management positions and engagement of a gender expert to guide gender mainstreaming in the management of the project as strategies to enhance gender mainstreaming in the management of the Bridge Water Supply Project.

Evidence-informed policy formulation and implementation: a comparative case study of two national policies for improving health and social care in Sweden

BackgroundEvidence has come to play a central role in health policymaking. However, policymakers tend to use other types of information besides research evidence. Most prior studies on evidence-informed policy have focused on the policy formulation phase without a systematic analysis of its implementation. It has been suggested that in order to fully understand the policy process, the analysis should include both policy formulation and implementation. The purpose of the study was to explore and compare two policies aiming to improve health and social care in Sweden and to empirically test a new conceptual model for evidence-informed policy formulation and implementation.MethodsTwo concurrent national policies were studied during the entire policy process using a longitudinal, comparative case study approach. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and documents. A Conceptual Model for Evidence-Informed Policy Formulation and Implementation was developed based on prior frameworks for evidence-informed policymaking and policy dissemination and implementation. The conceptual model was used to organize and analyze the data.ResultsThe policies differed regarding the use of evidence in the policy formulation and the extent to which the policy formulation and implementation phases overlapped. Similarities between the cases were an emphasis on capacity assessment, modified activities based on the assessment, and a highly active implementation approach relying on networks of stakeholders. The Conceptual Model for Evidence-Informed Policy Formulation and Implementation was empirically useful to organize the data.ConclusionsThe policy actors’ roles and functions were found to have a great influence on the choices of strategies and collaborators in all policy phases. The Conceptual Model for Evidence-Informed Policy Formulation and Implementation was found to be useful. However, it provided insufficient guidance for analyzing actors involved in the policy process, capacity-building strategies, and overlapping policy phases. A revised version of the model that includes these aspects is suggested.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-015-0359-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A review of policy dissemination and implementation research funded by the National Institutes of Health, 2007-2014.

BackgroundPolicy has a tremendous potential to improve population health when informed by research evidence. Such evidence, however, typically plays a suboptimal role in policymaking processes. The field of policy dissemination and implementation research (policy D&I) exists to address this challenge. The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine the extent to which policy D&I was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), (2) identify trends in NIH-funded policy D&I, and (3) describe characteristics of NIH-funded policy D&I projects.MethodsThe NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool was used to identify all projects funded through D&I-focused funding announcements. We screened for policy D&I projects by searching project title, abstract, and term fields for mentions of “policy,” “policies,” “law,” “legal,” “legislation,” “ordinance,” “statute,” “regulation,” “regulatory,” “code,” or “rule.” A project was classified as policy D&I if it explicitly proposed to conduct research about the content of a policy, the process through which it was developed, or outcomes it produced. A coding guide was iteratively developed, and all projects were independently coded by two researchers. ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were used to obtain additional project information and validate coding decisions. Descriptive statistics—stratified by funding mechanism, Institute, and project characteristics—were produced.ResultsBetween 2007 and 2014, 146 projects were funded through the D&I funding announcements, 12 (8.2 %) of which were policy D&I. Policy D&I funding totaled $16,177,250, equivalent to 10.5 % of all funding through the D&I funding announcements. The proportion of funding for policy D&I projects ranged from 14.6 % in 2007 to 8.0 % in 2012. Policy D&I projects were primarily focused on policy outcomes (66.7 %), implementation (41.7 %), state-level policies (41.7 %), and policies within the USA (83.3 %). Tobacco (33.3 %) and cancer (25.0 %) control were the primary topics of focus. Many projects combined survey (58.3 %) and interview (33.3 %) methods with analysis of archival data sources.ConclusionsNIH has made an initial investment in policy D&I research, but the level of support has varied between Institutes. Policy D&I researchers have utilized a variety of designs, methods, and data sources to investigate the development processes, content, and outcomes of public and private policies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-015-0367-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Abstract CN03-01: Dissemination and implementation of cancer prevention policies: The example of smoke-free public housing

Abstract Second and third hand smoke exposure increases risk for a number of cancers and other adverse health effects in smokers and non- smokers. Public health campaigns have reduced smoking in many types of public enclosed spaces, but the residential environment remains an important area for risk reduction. In multi-unit housing, significant exposure due to drift between units has led to market and policy efforts to promote smoke-free multi-unit housing options. Public housing authorities have implemented smoke-free policies in greater numbers since the 2009 HUD Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, but the implementation of smoke-free policies in public housing, which must serve diverse communities of low income families, disabled, and elderly residents, presents ethical and logistical challenges. The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the fourth largest housing authority in the US, serving over 80,000 residents, and is among the largest to implement smoke-free policies. The Drexel School of Public Health, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has conducted a longitudinal mixed methods evaluation of the implementation process. Our formative evaluation began with in-depth interviews and focus groups with residents, including smokers and non-smokers, as well as PHA staff, policy leaders, and local tobacco control stakeholders, as well as ethnographic observations of the tobacco use culture in diverse housing communities in Philadelphia. We then conducted baseline interviews with a sample of residents in four communities, and conducted air nicotine monitoring in both residents' homes and in public areas, including elevators, laundry rooms, hallways, and lobbies. During implementation, we will continue to monitor resident knowledge, attitudes and tobacco related behaviors, as well as tobacco use in public and home environments. Results will be discussed in the context of community behavior change, and tobacco control policies for high risk, low resource communities. As well, the Philadelphia example will be compared to other cities and communities, and to the broader theory of implementation science for public health. Citation Format: Ann Carroll Klassen. Dissemination and implementation of cancer prevention policies: The example of smoke-free public housing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr CN03-01.

Clamp late and maintain perfusion (CLAMP) policy: delayed cord clamping in preterm infants

Objective: Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC) in preterm infants results in improved neonatal outcomes, including increased hematocrit, and decreased rates of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and packed red blood cell transfusions. We hypothesized that implementation of a DCC policy in preterm infants would result in similarly improved outcomes, despite initial clinician resistance.Study design: A DCC policy (30–60 s) for singleton infants <35 weeks gestation was implemented in September 2011. We conducted a pre-test/post-test analysis of neonatal outcomes among singletons delivered between 24 0/7 weeks and 34 6/7 weeks gestation from 2009 to 2013 (2 years pre-implementation and 2 years post-implementation). The primary outcomes were rates of policy compliance and four neonatal outcomes.Results: Despite multiple routes of policy dissemination, DCC was attempted in only 49% of the deliveries. In spite of this, infants delivered post-policy implementation (n = 196) had a significant decrease in IVH, significant increase in initial hematocrits, and improved temperatures compared with infants delivered pre-implementation (n = 204).Conclusion: After implementation of a DCC policy, preterm singleton infants had improved temperatures, increased hematocrits and a decreased prevalence of IVH without significant differences in adverse outcomes, suggesting that the benefits of DCC outweighed the risks.