Skip Navigation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov/
Agency for Healthcare Research Quality www.ahrq.gov
www.ahrq.gov/

AHRQ's Knowledge Transfer/Implementation Program


The Knowledge Transfer (KT) program consists of projects that disseminate Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) products, tools, and research to target groups and provide assistance in implementing them.

Red Envelope Sign Up for State & Local Health Policy E-mail Updates


About AHRQ's Knowledge Transfer Program

AHRQ supports initiatives that disseminate and help move research into practice. As a result, health care decisionmakers (including consumers) are able to make informed decisions that improve the quality of health care services.

The Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer (OCKT) manages and coordinates the Agency's knowledge transfer, marketing, media, and publishing projects. OCKT is the organizational unit of AHRQ that is responsible for ensuring that information about Agency products and sponsored research is available to a wide array of target audiences and is actually implemented in the health care system.

Learn more about knowledge transfer: Implementing AHRQ's Tools in the Field: Successes and Lessons Learned.

Objectives

For AHRQ tools, research, and other products, the KT program:

  • Enhances awareness and knowledge among key target audiences about AHRQ's evidence-based products, tools, and research findings and how they may improve the quality of health care.
  • Assists target audiences in the actual implementation of AHRQ research, tools, and products.
  • Better understands target audience motivations and barriers to implementing AHRQ's evidence-based products, tools, and research findings.
  • Provides evidence-based tools and materials that meet the needs of specific target audiences in order to implement research findings.
  • Determines effectiveness of knowledge transfer activities.

Ongoing Projects by Portfolio

Knowledge Transfer projects reflect the mission and policy emphases of AHRQ and its portfolios and serve the following Agency goals:

  • Safety and quality: Reduce the risk of harm by promoting delivery of the best possible health care.
  • Effectiveness: Improve health care outcomes by encouraging the use of evidence to make informed health care decisions.
  • Efficiency: Transform research into practice to facilitate wider access to effective health care services and reduce unnecessary costs.

AHRQ organizes and prioritizes research, products, and tools supported by the Agency into six Portfolios of work. Examples of ongoing projects by Portfolio include the following:

Innovations/Emerging Issues

  • Medicaid Medical Directors Learning Network (Phase 2)

    Description:

    The Medicaid Medical Directors Learning Network provides a forum for clinical leaders of the State Medicaid programs to discuss their most pressing needs as policymakers. This project helps the Medicaid Medical Directors (MMDs) use relevant AHRQ products and related evidence to improve the quality of care delivered to the Medicaid population.

    Links:

Patient Safety

  • Patient Safety Learning Network

    Description:

    The purpose of the State-based Patient Safety Learning Networks is to create an ongoing collaborative relationship between AHRQ and hospital executives, physicians, nurses, quality improvement experts, and/or other stakeholders. The goals are to (1) share AHRQ patient safety tools and resources and to provide technical assistance for implementation as needed; (2) create ongoing networks for members to share best practices in patient safety; and (3) receive input and feedback from members that can inform AHRQ research.

    Links:

Value

  • Educate the Educators (not yet awarded).

Archived Projects

Current as of September 2012


Internet Citation:

AHRQ's Knowledge Transfer/Implementation Program. September 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ktint.htm


 

AHRQAdvancing Excellence in Health Care