"At a time when experts warn of the fragmented health care system and of a widening “chasm” in access, quality, and disparities, interventions to close these gaps—the work of Type 2 research—may do more to decrease morbidity and mortality than a new imaging device or class of drugs…" Steven Woolf, 2008, JAMA
Are you a researcher, clinician or organization interested in improving clinical practice and community health? Specifically, do you seek to:
The Community-Academic Partnerships core of the UW-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR-CAP) is dedicated to supporting research partnerships that solve problems in translating new and existing knowledge into improvements in clinical practice and community health throughout the State of Wisconsin.
There are two types of translational research commonly referred to; Type 1 and Type 2 translational research. Type 1 Clinical and Translational Research focuses on moving scientific findings closer to real-world applications. Type 1 Translational Research studies how to move basic science discoveries into efficacy studies of new diagnostic and treatment modalities.
Type 2 Translational Research solves problems in translating new and existing findings from efficacy studies into improvements in clinical practice and community health. Type 2 translational research often uses a collaborative approach that engages community members, organizations, and clinicians as partners in the research process.
Type 2 Translational Research includes research to determine whether interventions tested in efficacy studies are applicable or even used in typical community settings (e.g., determining whether and why major gaps exist in current practice). Examples might include determining the differences between recommended and actual practices for treating diabetes, reducing obesity, or screening for hypertension, along with determining the reasons for those gaps.
Type 2 Translational Research also includes studies that develop, evaluate, and disseminate interventions to improve practice (e.g., taking what we know and turning it into what we do). Interventions typically target individual behaviors (including patients, clinicians, families, and caregivers), organizational behaviors, or systems redesign. Examples include, but are not limited to, evaluating existing or piloting new programs such as (1) practice improvement programs that target greater adherence to guidelines, use of proven efficacious treatments, or efficiency in care delivery, (2) initiatives to increase preventive screening behaviors such as screening for breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer, (3) health promotion programs targeting individual behaviors such as quitting smoking or increasing exercise in community organizations or employer settings, (4) strategies to increase patient participation in decision making or support behavior change, or (5) patient safety initiatives targeting systems redesign in hospitals.
“Community” refers to target populations that may be defined by: geography; race; ethnicity; gender; sexual orientation; disability, illness, or other health condition; or to groups that have a common interest or cause, such as health or service agencies and organizations, health care or public health practitioners or providers, policy makers, or lay public groups with public health concerns. “Community-based organizations” refer to organizations that may be involved in the research process as members or representatives of the community. Possible community partners include, but are not limited to, Tribal governments and colleges, state or local governments, independent living centers, other educational institutions such as junior colleges, advocacy organizations, health delivery organizations (e.g., clinics, hospitals, and networks), health professional associations, non-governmental organizations, and Federally-qualified health centers.” [As defined in the NIH Program Announcement # PA-08-077]