The traditional path of research in academia typically involves a presentation at a conference, production of a manuscript, and publication in a journal. Although this framework serves our academic community well through its rigor and peer-review process, it can also be restrictive. In the case of health policy research, for example, patients and policymakers are some of the key stakeholders that would benefit from accessing research, but they are not the targeted audience in the traditional path of research. This “dissemination gap” (Figure) presents a significant obstacle to achieving the ultimate goal of informing legislators and empowering advocates to guide political change that may influence clinical practice.

Narrowing the dissemination gap in health policy research is critical. Improving the access and distribution of research can help policymakers make informed decisions about policies that are grounded in scientific rigor and empirical evidence. Urologists interested in taking more creative and innovative approaches to maximize the impact of their research can consider a few strategic approaches.

1. Collaborate with a diverse team, including health care economists, health services researchers, public health experts, and policy analysts. Interdisciplinary collaborations can facilitate a comprehensive understanding of complex health care issues. Partner with patient advocacy groups, disease-specific foundations, and nonprofit organizations to disseminate research findings. These organizations may share enthusiasm about the research and help broaden the distribution to interested parties. Likewise, researchers can learn from these organizations about issues most affecting their members, and organically develop future research questions that better address their needs.
2. Utilize digital platforms such as social media, blogs, podcasts, and webinars to broaden your audience. Urologists can use these platforms to disseminate research findings, engage with diverse audiences, and discuss key policy issues. The Backtable Urology podcast is a popular option for urologists. These sources of media may also be more accessible for patients, particularly compared to academic journals that require institutional subscriptions. Twitter/X is another option to provide patients access to reliable information, resources, and links to reputable sources for further reading and exploration of topics discussed in research studies. A third example, specifically designed for patients, is wellprept.com, a website founded by Dr David Canes, a urologist at Lahey Hospital, which offers customizable information that urologists can send to patients so they can arrive at the clinic informed.
3. Tailor your language to your intended audience. Urologists should prioritize plain language summaries, infographics, and multimedia presentations to make research findings accessible to patients. Medical journals such as the The Journal of Urology® and Urology Practice® now emphasize these efforts by routinely including visual abstracts and single-page takeaway summaries. Advances in artificial intelligence may ease this process in their ability to edit and tailor manuscripts according to instructed reading levels.

There are several examples of urologists who have utilized these dissemination strategies to increase the outreach and impact of their research. Dr Chad Ellimoottil, a urologist at the University of Michigan, is an expert in telemedicine who testified before the Senate Finance Committee in November 2023 to help advocate for the adoption of continued telehealth availability. Dr Ruchika Talwar, a urologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, investigated the potential cost savings of Medicare prescription medication by analyzing the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs company. In addition to publishing in an academic journal, she highlighted this work by hosting a live video interview with Mark Cuban, which attracted over 4600 views on YouTube.

To encourage more dissemination efforts from urologists, academic institutions should consider increasing the value placed on this work. Currently, traditional models of promotion at academic universities rely most heavily on grant funding, publications in journals, and lecturing events with mainly medical audiences. However, these platforms are not broadly accessible for patients and may be limited in their scope of reach or impact. Departments should begin to include alternative criteria for promotion, including dissemination efforts and outreach, to help incentivize more unique dissemination efforts. Tackling the dissemination gap could significantly improve a health care system aimed at optimizing clinical practice for providers and patients.