Primary Health Care Transition Fund Dissemination Principles

• Background
• Principles

Background

The Government of Canada announced the creation of the Primary Health Care Transition Fund (PHCTF) in September 2000 to support provinces and territories in implementing new approaches to primary health care delivery. The bulk of this $800M investment was allocated directly to provinces and territories, but it also includes pan-Canadian activities which involve health care system stakeholders and which complement provincial and territorial activities . PHCTF funding is time-limited (2000-2006) and is intended to support the transitional costs of making sustainable changes to primary health care delivery.

The design of the PHCTF and the initiatives it is funding reflect the importance of evidence-based decision-making in health care system reform.

• Program requirements included evaluation and dissemination components for all initiatives.
• Federal, provincial and territorial governments identified evaluation as one of three national strategies under the PHCTF. National strategies are collaborative initiatives which address key issues in primary health care reform.
• Numerous PHCTF-funded activities are contributing to improved capacity in primary health care evaluation to inform future developments.

PHCTF-funded initiatives are responsible for disseminating their individual results to their own key target audiences. In addition, the PHCTF will develop and implement a national dissemination strategy. This document identifies the principles which will guide the development and implementation of this strategy. Further information will be posted on the Health Canada website as it becomes available.

Principles

• Primary health care reform is a long and complex process which will continue post-PHCTF. The results from PHCTF-funded initiatives will inform ongoing developments in the sector.
• Provinces and territories are responsible for health care delivery within their respective jurisdictions and are the primary recipients of PHCTF funding. All other PHCTF activities are intended to complement and enhance P/T efforts.
• Funding recipients are responsible for producing and disseminating project-specific results to their own key target audiences, and are being supported by the PHCTF to do so. National activities will not routinely include dissemination of individual, project-specific results.
• The PHCTF will concentrate its own dissemination efforts on trends and themes across multiple projects at an aggregate level. Similarly, it will concentrate on communicating results of national or regional (rather than local) interest.
• Evidence-based decision-making is an ongoing process. Purveyors of evidence must:
  • link results to decision-makers;
  • add to the growing stock of health services research so that information is readily available when needed; and
  • pique the interest of target audiences so that they can find results when needed.
• Targeted, face-to-face interaction is the most dynamic form of dissemination. While simultaneously providing an infrastructure of dissemination tools and activities (website, mail-outs, conferences, etc.) the PHCTF will seek opportunities for tailored presentations to key stakeholders. Consideration of the most pertinent messages and most effective messengers for individual audiences will be key.
• The PHCTF will emphasize the availability of information and how to access it, rather than engaging in mass distribution of unsolicited material.
• The PHCTF will use a layered approach to information (for example, summaries, factsheets, and full reports), so that individuals can choose a level of detail appropriate to their needs.
• The PHCTF will keep the amount of information realistic and manageable by aggregating or highlighting results. For example, analytical syntheses across key topics will highlight trends and consolidate results for decision-makers.
• The PHCTF will facilitate access to results by maximizing electronic means of dissemination.
• Evidence-based decision-making includes feedback to the Government of Canada on the effectiveness of its funding programs. Therefore, the PHCTF itself is undergoing a detailed program evaluation. The effectiveness of the national dissemination strategy will also be evaluated.