2013 ONS Annual Report Volume 1 | Page 11

11 2013 Annual Repor t Expanding Our Basis OF RESEARCH AND QUALITY AHRQ GRANTS FUNDING TO ONS STUDY ONS received a three-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop innovative digital communication methods that disseminate research findings to healthcare providers. In year one, phase I participants completed a caregiver strain and burden survey and some participants in phase I of the project received targeted email messages with case studies and links to ONS Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP®) Caregiver Strain and Burden interventions. Funding for year two activities was received late in 2013. PEP AND CONTINUED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES At year-end, PEP resources summarized more than 1,700 studies and provided evidence for 466 discrete interventions. 466 At year-end, PEP resources summarized more than 1,700 studies and provided evidence for 466 discrete interventions. We continued to actively partner with our members and healthcare organizations to increase PEP’s impact. Reports from the AHRQ’s National Guideline Clearinghouse indicate that PEP resource areas were visited more than 60,000 times from August 2012 through mid-July 2013. We also transitioned the resources into a new format on the ONS website, allowing members to quickly search for interventions and topic areas. The PEP program has continued to provide a mechanism for members to be engaged in the organization and in evidence-based activities, with more than 150 volunteer members involved from across the United States and Pakistan, Spain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. In 2013, ONS members and staff participated with representatives from ASCO, the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Radiation Oncology, and others to develop high-priority quality measures in the areas of performance and functional status assessment, multi-symptom assessment, and coordination of care. We also participated in a workgroup convened by the American Nurses Association to identify cross-cutting topic areas for quality measures in the ambulatory nursing care area.