The Importance of Formative Research When Communicating to Healthcare Workers

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated longstanding gaps in infection control knowledge and practice in healthcare settings nationwide. While healthcare workers on the frontlines worked tirelessly to implement infection control, many often felt overwhelmed by guidance that was changing rapidly to align with advances in science. These challenges and the knowledge and practice gaps that existed prior to the pandemic, reinforced the need for innovative education and training that would apply to a diverse healthcare workforce, be practical and easy to implement, but most importantly reflect the lived experiences of healthcare workers during a public health emergency. In response, CDC launched Project Firstline in April 2020 – a national training and education collaborative grounded in formative and audience research and aimed at supporting our healthcare workforce to better understand infection risks and take action to protect themselves and others.

Program background:

To better understand how to effectively close the knowledge and practice gaps and aid healthcare workers in navigating challenges in implementing evolving and existing infection control guidance, Project Firstline began conducting formative and audience research with frontline healthcare workers in February 2021. This research was designed to gain understanding of healthcare workers’ lived realities during the pandemic and more effectively target, reach, and educate this crucial population on infection control. The research was designed to understand workers’ feelings about and approach to infection control, the existing resources and channels used to obtain infection control information, their receptivity to creative executions and educational designs, as well as preferences for receiving new infection control information and resources.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

Key audiences engaged in research included nurses, allied health workers and environmental service technicians. Research activities were conducted via focus groups divided by audience characteristics, including professional role and language spoken. Project Firstline also conducted in-depth interviews with a diverse set of healthcare workers as part of a human-centered design study, resulting in 5 audience personas which include biographical information, role and setting, career trajectories, internet and device access, and social media use.

Conclusions:

The formative and audience research conducted by CDC’s Project Firstline was an essential first step in providing frontline healthcare workers with the infection control knowledge, tools, and resources to be better prepared to respond to ongoing and emerging threats in health care. The findings and lessons learned from this research were applied, and continue to be applied, to the development of effective training, education, and communication resources. The resources developed, as a result, are engaging, approachable, grounded in infection control science, built upon lived experiences, digestible so they can be viewed and consumed on the job, and delivered through a variety of trusted mediums and platforms to reach frontline healthcare workers where they are.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Conducting formative and audience research to better understand knowledge, awareness, and the needs of the audience that is trying to be reached is a critical step in effective communication. Using findings from audience research aids in the development of educational and communication resources that are tailored to the needs and preferences of a diverse healthcare workforce.