CP42 - Demonstrating Value: A Theoretical and Experiential Approach to Group Learning

Poster Type: Innovation

Category: Workforce

Issue or Challenge: In 2018, HRSA awarded 46 health centers with Advancing Precision Medicine (APM) funding to contribute to the mission of the All of Us Research Program (AoURP): enroll one million or more individuals who reflect the diversity of the U.S., particularly those historically under-represented in biomedical research.

These health centers were tasked with increasing awareness of the AoURP among their patients and communities and to engage and educate about the importance of research and opportunities to self-enroll in the AoURP. Health centers had varied experience contributing to research initiatives, and different program-specific restrictions such as proximity to enrollment sites.

Description of Innovation: The Technical assistance (TA) provided to support HRSA APM health centers’ success evolved with health centers’ needs and learning. Over time, health centers became familiar with the HRSA APM and more versed in research and communicating about it to their patients and communities.

• Phase 1 – the TA team worked closely with the health centers over the first year to ensure completion of action plans and required trainings. Monthly one-on-one meetings and additional meetings, email exchanges, and TA as needed was provided. HRSA hosted a face-to-face meeting at the end of year one, the first opportunity for health centers to interact with one another, share knowledge, and begin group learning activities.
• Phase 2 – As outreach and engagement efforts increased, health centers required a venue for sharing insights and working through challenges together. TA evolved into facilitated, structured monthly meetings with groups of 6-8 health centers. Health centers started taking on leadership roles during group meetings, eventually requesting broader interactions across all HRSA APM health centers.
• Phase 3 – Health centers transitioned from structured monthly group meetings to self-directed open mic sessions, driven by health centers’ needs, questions and insights. At this point, health centers relied more on one another than on the formal TA.

Impact or Result: Evolution from focused one-on-one meetings occurred soon after the July 2019 face to face meeting, during which health centers indicated a need for continued collaboration. Phase two, small group meetings, provided a venue for knowledge sharing and “thinking outside of the box.” There was unanimous approval from the health centers when the TA O/E team recommended moving to this new format. While meetings were structured and somewhat formal, they enabled health centers to communicate with one another, find common ground and solve problems together.

Phase three, open mic sessions, were implemented after five months of small group meetings due to time constraints identified by the O/E TA team, and because several health centers expressed a need to communicate with colleagues outside of their small group. Self-directed meetings enable more fluid discussion and sharing of insights, especially pertinent during COVID-19 as health centers balance HRSA APM activities with important clinical obligations.

Replicating this Innovation: Lessons learned reinforce the need to be agile while facilitating groups as their needs evolve over time. The approach used here mirrors Stephen Covey’s model, described in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The HRSA APM health centers moved from complete dependence on the O/E TA team, to independence within their small group structures, to interdependence that is facilitated by the O/E TA team during their self-directed open mic sessions. Learnings from the TA provided to the 46 HRSA APM health centers can be translated to similar cohorts considering ambitious, complex, and challenging initiatives.

Author(s):

Mariella While-Dart, RN, BSN, MEd, Health Care Consultant, MITRE Corporation

Kathy Lewis, PhD MPH MSN RN, HRSA APM Engagement, MITRE Corporation

Margo Rosner, MPH, Social and Behavioral Scientist, MITRE Corporation