Development of Information Regarding Susceptibility to Heat Illness Using the Cooperative Extension Agency Model in Kentucky
Context:Dissemination of information regarding the latest research findings in rehabilitative health care is often limited to professional journals.Objective:The purpose of the paper is to describe opportunities to better distribute scientific information to wider swaths than normally contained within a readership of a journal, to describe a process to deliver important information via the Cooperative Extension Service, and provide an example of such an informational brochure.Design:An interdisciplinary approach was developed to provide access to a larger cohort of individuals the latest research findings regarding heat and hydration.Data Extraction:CINAHL, Medline, and Sport Discus were reviewed from 1966 to 2006 using the terms Heat, Hydration, Rhabdomyolysis, Rehabilitation, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke, and Dehydration.Data Synthesis:We found substantial information describing recommendations for preventing, recognizing, and treating illness due to variance in heat and hydration. The information was succinctly summarized, converted to a 7th grade reading level, and shared with a larger audience via a unique model available through Cooperative Extension Agencies.Conclusion:Providing scientific information via a Cooperative Extension Model enables sharing of information from experts to communities. This methodology increases the distribution of the latest scientific knowledge to broader audiences.