Background:
Users outside of academia are increasingly adopting evidence synthesis methods to inform healthcare decisions. Obtaining and updating these skills while in the workforce presents substantial challenges. In response to the growing need for professionals to learn evidence synthesis methods, our academic center has been developing flexible, free, open-access, online educational resources to accommodate professionals in the workforce, balancing rigorous methodological standards with accessibility. The audience of our program includes payers, patients/advocacy groups, policy-makers, funders and journalists. Though evidence synthesis projects typically engage these communities as stakeholders or research partners, there are significant challenges to developing training materials for non-traditional audiences.

Objectives:
Identify barriers to implementation of evidence synthesis training for professionals within and outside academia.

Methods:
Utilizing adult learning theory, we adapted our academic audience-focused content for a broader audience. The initial program design relied primarily on existing university resources to support instructional design and educational evaluation.

Results:
Barriers encountered when implementing the evidence synthesis curriculum included: 1) adapting university platforms designed for enrolled students for use by non-university affiliated participants; 2) converting synchronous courses typically delivered over a semester or as a short course into asynchronous formats with modular design for content on-demand; 3) developing content for multiple audiences in order to realize learning objectives; 4) creating an accessible online platform for easily uploading and editing content; and 5) enabling non-academic-affiliated learners to access pay-walled articles in systematic reviews. During the project, we also engaged outside consultants to support online delivery of content for services (e.g. web design and animation).

Conclusions:
Informing consumers and non-academic researchers about the processes and objectives of systematic review and meta-analysis requires significant time, effort and resources to ensure that they are accessible and rigorous. Developing educational materials to educate learners outside academia presents numerous barriers that can be overcome through design, technology and collaboration.