From Evidence to Adoption: Dissemination and Implementation Strategies to Support Uptake of Updated Donor Selection Guidelines

The evidence base informing donor selection is rapidly evolving, with updated guidelines from NMDP/CIBMTR for allogeneic hematopoietic cell donor selection published in the past year. A major change is the shift away from a strictly linear search process toward a parallel, patient-specific approach based on the findings of BMT CTN 1702, requiring many centers to adjust existing practices. Translating these recommendations into practice is often hindered by complex workflows, competing demands, and variability across centers. Traditional dissemination (e.g., publication) may raise awareness but rarely ensures uptake in routine practice. We applied dissemination and implementation science principles to operationalize recommendations, focusing on workflows, decision support, and tailored, multi-channel dissemination to promote adoption. We conducted stakeholder mapping and role-based needs assessments to identify audiences most engaged with the updated guidelines. Workflow and process mapping of donor selection practices informed the design of supplementary dissemination and implementation materials. Developed in partnership with guideline authors, these clarified continuity with prior practices, identified what is new or different, and highlighted grey zones of evidence and program-level decision points. Multimodal strategies were then employed to promote awareness, accessibility, and usability. We created a suite of resources to support implementation of the updated guidelines, including a practice flowchart and decision tree (Figure 1), comparative tables, and a rapid-reference webpage. A Spanish-language version was added to increase reach. Dissemination efforts leveraged social media, podcasts, newsletters, emails, and national conference presentations tailored to diverse stakeholders. To facilitate implementation, we provided expert-led sessions with centers, developed internal toolkits, and updated existing educational programs. Guidelines are only impactful if they can be translated into practice, which requires support beyond publication. By developing complementary resources and deploying multimodal dissemination strategies, we aim to enable consistent adoption of evidence-based donor selection practices. This work provides a scalable model for translating rapidly evolving evidence into practice. Ongoing efforts will assess the effectiveness of the materials and the adoption of the donor selection guidelines.