The field of health services research (HSR) has entered a new and challenging era. Rapid and significant changes in the health care system and increasing pressures to contain costs and assure quality have intensified demands for information on the consequences of changes in medical technology, organization and financing of care. This information is being sought by state and federal policy- makers, health care providers, private sector managers and the public. The success of the field in meeting these needs for information will be largely dependent on having a research dissemination strategy that: (1) anticipates future information needs to guide research priorities, (2) assures continuing professional development or established HSR investigators and attracts new investigators into the field, and (3) develops dissemination mechanisms to facilitate communication among researchers, and between researchers and users. Congress recognized the importance of these functions when it required the National Center for Health Services Research to support a broad range of dissemination activities (Section 308, PHS Act). A five year national program of dissemination including three dissemination projects is proposed. These are: (1) an annual national scientific meeting to bring together health services researchers to share new methodologies and findings with colleagues and users; (2) an annual research agenda (priority) setting conference that involves leading researchers, policy-makers and providers in assessing future research directions in selected areas (e.g., determinants of health outcomes); and (3) timely and integrated dissemination of information on newly funded research, cutting across major public and private agencies funding health services research. Together these activities can be expected to accelerate the development of timely and significant new research, as well as assure that findings from current research are widely shared among researchers and users.
