DynaHEALTH Publications Map


A creative approach to communicating complex research results to inform future policy.

Collaborative research project

One of Europe’s biggest challenges is the burden of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Federation there are now around 66 million adults (aged 18-99) with diabetes in the European region and it’s predicted to rise to 81 million by 2045. The resulting total diabetes health expenditure for Europe is currently over €180 billion.

 

Leading scientists from across Europe collaborated in the DynaHEALTH project* to better understand how a life-course approach to healthy ageing can reduce type 2 diabetes and obesity. One of the main goals from the project was to inform European healthcare policies, addressing the future economic and societal burdens of the disease.

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Engaging with our audience

DynaHEALTH research contributed to over 200 scientific papers and one of the challenges faced by the consortium was how to disseminate the complex research findings to policymakers and the healthcare community in a structured and engaging way.

 

As the consortium member responsible for dissemination, our experts developed the concept of a ‘Publications Map’ to visually present the research results mapped against the period of the life-course (foetus to old age). A searchable tool was then designed and included in the project website. This innovative approach allowed users to quickly search for relevant papers by topic area and period of study (e.g. diabetes and children).

Maximising the impact of DynaHEALTH

The Publications Map was well received by project stakeholders, enabling the effective dissemination of research outputs and maximising the impact of DynaHEALTH. It was highly commended by the project Scientific Advisory Board and Ethics Advisor who said “This is an innovative and excellent tool for any form of future scientific, public and policy-oriented dissemination of results and should serve as a model for future consortia.”

…an innovative and excellent tool for any form of future scientific, public and policy-oriented dissemination of results…

The life-course mapping approach and publications map design was taken forward into another research project and further developed. This can be viewed on the LongITools project website.

 

* DynaHEALTH received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633595.