General IAIMS context: The long-term goal of NLM's IAIMS program is a comprehensive and convenient information management system, one that brings useful, usable knowledge to action settings in health care, education and research. Particular emphasis is placed on organization-wide and trans-organizational mechanisms that enable the easy flow of information between arenas of action, such as between health care and education, or between health-related organizations, such as from a community clinic to a hospital or public health department.
Fundamental Activity Areas: Bind knowledge to effective action
- CONTEXT-APPROPRIATE INFORMATION: Each organization must implement approaches that select the right subset of information from the available sources, and present it in the way most effective for a given problem and person.
- STANDARDS-BASED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: Health organizations must use common vocabularies and adopt information standards that support the integration and exchange of health information.
- DIGITAL LIBRARIES: Organizations must implement approaches that facilitate the use of information acquired in one arena of action, such as clinical care, by people in another arena, such as research.
- INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: Work in any fundamental IAIMS activity area requires the adoption of efficient, effective strategies for information management.
IAIMS Pilot Study grant: to provide support for small investigative studies. Like other IAIMS grants, the Pilot Study must address one of the fundamental IAIMS activity areas. IAIMS pilot study grants provide one or two years of support for such things as: to provide the initial data needed to support the deployment of a resource or system for testing and evaluation; to frame the local specifications for organization-wide adoption of a national standard; to define the information needs of a group of users, to provide a proof of concept for an information technology innovation in a health care, research or education setting. The expected outcome of an IAIMS pilot study is a written report that documents the study approach and findings.
IAIMS PILOT STUDY GRANT application should cover the following points:
- Statement of the research problem
- Rationale for the study & approach
- Description of the methods of data gathering
- Description of how the findings will be analyzed, reported and used
- Plan for publication and/or presentation of the findings to the peer community.
The IAIMS pilot study must be well designed, employing accepted methods of systematic data gathering in a way that yields testable or verifiable results. Discussion of pertinent information management issues and processes is required.
REVIEW CRITERIA
- Responsiveness to one of the stated IAIMS fundamental activity areas;
- Strength of the problem statement;
- Appropriateness of the chosen methods;
- Expertise of the participants;
- Evidence of institutional interest in/support for the project;
- Plan for dissemination of study findings.
HIGHLY DESIRABLE ELEMENTS (NOT REQUIRED)
- Focus on education as one of the activity areas addressed;
- Support for population studies and health services research;
- Design of direct information services to new audiences, such as consumers and patients, or researchers;
- Collaboration between two or more organizations (e.g., between a primary health care clinic and a public health department, between two health professions education programs or between two hospitals.)
BUDGET
- Up to $50,000 per year for one or two years in direct costs.
- All IAIMS Pilot Study grants support direct costs for salary, consultants, equipment and software costs, training costs, travel, supplies and other expenses appropriate to the project.
- Support is provided for Facilities and Administration costs (F&A) at the organization's negotiated rate.
- Consortium/subcontractual costs are treated as direct costs to the parent grant and, therefore, must be within the total direct cost cap established for this program.
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