PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mary Ann McColl
AU  - Alice Aiken
AU  - Karen Smith
AU  - Alexander McColl
AU  - Michael Green
AU  - Marshall Godwin
AU  - Richard Birtwhistle
AU  - Kathleen Norman
AU  - Gabrielle Brankston
AU  - Michael Schaub
TI  - Actionable Nuggets
DP  - 2015 May 01
TA  - Canadian Family Physician
PG  - e240--e248
VI  - 61
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.cfp.ca/content/61/5/e240.short
4100  - http://www.cfp.ca/content/61/5/e240.full
SO  - Can Fam Physician2015 May 01; 61
AB  - Objective To present the results of a pilot study of an innovative methodology for translating best evidence about spinal cord injury (SCI) for family practice. Design Review of Canadian and international peer-reviewed literature to develop SCI Actionable Nuggets, and a mixed qualitative-quantitative evaluation to determine Nuggets’ effect on physician knowledge of and attitudes toward patients with SCI, as well as practice accessibility. Setting Ontario, Newfoundland, and Australia. Participants Forty-nine primary care physicians. Methods Twenty Actionable Nuggets (pertaining to key health issues associated with long-term SCI) were developed. Nugget postcards were mailed weekly for 20 weeks to participating physicians. Prior knowledge of SCI was self-rated by participants; they also completed an online posttest to assess the information they gained from the Nugget postcards. Participants’ opinions about practice accessibility and accommodations for patients with SCI, as well as the acceptability and usefulness of Nuggets, were assessed in interviews. Main findings With Actionable Nuggets, participants’ knowledge of the health needs of patients with SCI improved, as knowledge increased from a self-rating of fair (58%) to very good (75%) based on posttest quiz results. The mean overall score for accessibility and accommodations in physicians’ practices was 72%. Participants’ awareness of the need for screening and disease prevention among this population also increased. The usefulness and acceptability of SCI Nugget postcards were rated as excellent. Conclusion Actionable Nuggets are a knowledge translation tool designed to provide family physicians with concise, practical information about the most prevalent and pressing primary care needs of patients with SCI. This evidence-based resource has been shown to be an excellent fit with information consumption processes in primary care. They were updated and adapted for distribution by the Canadian Medical Association to approximately 50 000 primary care physicians in Canada, in both English and French.