The crucial step in applied health research is the communication of findings in a manner that influences decision-making. Once raw data has been collected and analyzed by the researchers, the findings must be distributed to the regional health planners.

Dissemination - the receipt of information by individuals and organizations who would most benefit from it, and its transformation into knowledge.

Implementation - “the change of information into altered behaviour by these individuals and organizations.”(Lomas, 1993)¹¹

Implementing the results in practice or decision-making may require assistance to overcome barriers to knowledge use. Both steps must be facilitated by the researchers.

CHSRF highlighted several challenges and solutions to linkage between researchers and decision makers in a recent document: Issues in Linkage and Exchange Between Researchers and Decision Makers. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)