Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability: Methods, Frameworks, Tools, and a Diabetes Case Example

Bethany M. Kwan, PhD, MSPH, FSBM
University of Colorado School of Medicine

ABSTRACT:
Designing for dissemination and sustainability (D4DS) refers to the process of ensuring that the products of research are likely to be adopted, implemented, and sustained in the context of intended use. D4DS involves use of methods such as participatory co-design, active dissemination planning, and pragmatic trial designs to develop evidence that “fits the context” and can be readily adopted in real-world settings. This presentation will provide an overview of the rationale, principles, methods, and frameworks for D4DS. The Fit to Context Framework for D4DS is a novel process framework to guide planning, conduct, and dissemination of research, based on a narrative review of the literature on D4DS. Tools to support application of the Fit to Context Framework, including https://dicemethods.org/ and https://app.d4dsplanner.com/, will be demonstrated. A case example will describe D4DS applications in the Invested in Diabetes study, a pragmatic, type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of two models of diabetes shared medical appointments.