Dear PDQNet CRT - We are really close on the prompt!  Thanks to everyone for each incremental improvement you have made.  I want to propose two final choices, building upon all that has been submitted.  While I don't object to yet another version, I'm aware that we've got to nail this down, so if you can live with one two choices listed below, let's just choose between them.

To achieve this, please reply to this email asap with your choice and the reason.  Also let us know whether you could live with either prompt.  Please weigh in on whether inclusion of the word "improvement" is important and why.

Latest two choices:

1.     A specific action communities might take to get more involved with those who study health and health care [improvement] would be ...


2.     A specific action communities might take to make their voices known by those who study health and health care [improvement] would be ... (a slight tweak of the most recent one from Laurene).  The question I have is... is "make their voices known" too new age-y, too community engagement jargon-y?

Be aware, we will still run this by members of our expert team, and we run a beta test, so we just need something to run with.

Most recent suggestions for "focus prompt" to launch PDQNet Year 2 Concept Mapping up to today:

*         An action individuals and/or communities may take to make their voices heard by those who study health and health care, would be to ..."

*         An action individuals and/or communities may take to support those who study health and health care, in order to make their voices heard, would be to ...

*         A specific action individuals and/or communities might take to better support those who seek to study health and health care improvement would be to ....."

*         A specific action communities can take to work with people who study health and health care to communicate what matters most is...


To see my (Barbara's) thinking on the choice #1 above:
Prompt

My rationale

A specific action

To me it's important to be clear that we are looking for specific and discrete ideas, and the use of this adjective is used is the majority of prompts I've seen in the literature. Btw, it's hard to say "An action" - try it fast 5 times!

communities

I think it's important to keep the emphasize on collectivities, groups, organizations, etc. because that is the only way we can possibly tap into the voice of important primary healthcare populations.  Once you loop in individuals, it entails a different kind of cognitive paradigm.  Everyone is part of different communities and organizations which express their identity, values, perspectives, and priorities.  I don't think folks will have trouble with this term.  Plus, I really don't like the use of slashes (and/or) in conversation. :(

might take

"might" suggests possibilities, even out-of-the-box ideas.  We want to invite this, while "may" suggests a stronger likelihood than "might" and choices that are more likely to be "known," and acceptable.

to get more involved

"support" seems vague to me, and may, as has been said, suggest that the community org & institutional role is to provide backing for the research establishment; could even suggest in some minds things like sending money, voting at ballot box for research-supportive politicians, or other "less engaged" but "supportive" activities .

with those who study health and health care [improvement]

Per Lyndee's suggestions, a plain language way of getting at the notion of research, research enterprise, research arena - encompassing research projects, research agenda, research translation, etc.

I am equivocal about adding the phrase "improvement."  I would prefer to add it, but I realize that it then makes the prompt longer.  The main reason I'd like to add it is that it places the discussion solidly in the arena of primary healthcare and not in the basic sciences or some highly focused disease area; plus the phrase seems to bring together public health and primary care without having to explicitly use those words.  Then again, it's a long phrase.

would be...



If we specify anything more in the prompt, it gets a bit more complicated to say and understand.  Plus, it could tend to narrow peoples' thinking more than we want to.  I love the message behind "make their voices heard" but it's a phrase that might be too jargon-y and unclear to some in our communities.

In the one version, its intended referent "individuals and/or communities" is nowhere close by and listeners could think the "their voices" refers to "those who study health and health care" which immediately precedes it.

This may or may not have an adverse effect on the thinking of listeners, but the intended message of including it would be lost.  And the power of a clean, straight-forward prompt diminished.




Barbara L. Norton, DrPH
Assistant Professor of Research // Research Division
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine // University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
900 NE 10th St  Room 2209 // Oklahoma City OK 73104
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