Active involved community partnerships: co-creating implementation infrastructure for getting to and sustaining social impact

Education, organizational changes, and enforcement challenges of the 2019 flavored tobacco sales restriction in Massachusetts

OBJECTIVES

In November 2019, the Massachusetts legislature passed An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control and became the first state to restrict retail sales of all flavored (including menthol) cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products (the Act). Additional tobacco control policies and health insurance coverage for tobacco treatment were included as part of the Act. Implementation of these policies occurred between November 2019 and June 2020. This study explored challenges and facilitators during the implementation of the Act experienced by public health officials, school personnel, and healthcare providers.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 9 public health officials and advocates, 9 school personnel, and 8 healthcare providers from March to December 2021. We conducted thematic analysis of interview transcripts using inductive codes of key themes emerging from the interviews.

RESULTS

Interviewees highlighted three key themes that impacted the implementation of the Act: 1) Education of those impacted by the Act, 2) Organizational-level changes to incorporate the Act, and 3) Enforcement challenges. Examples of challenges to the implementation of the Act included COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, navigating tobacco industry tactics around naming flavors, and confusion regarding health insurance coverage for tobacco use cessation programs. Examples of facilitators were enforcement leading to retailer compliance, committed advocacy efforts of leadership/champions, and strong coordination within and between organizations.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings of Massachusetts's experience in policy implementation can inform the preparation to implement similar tobacco control policies in other states.

Exploring health equity integration among health service and delivery systems in Nova Scotia: perspectives of health system partners

BACKGROUND

Achieving health equity is important to improve population health; however, health equity is not typically well defined, integrated, or measured within health service and delivery systems. To improve population health, it is necessary to understand barriers and facilitators to health equity integration within health service and delivery systems. This study aimed to explore health equity integration among health systems workers and identify key barriers and facilitators to implementing health equity strategies within the health service and delivery system in Nova Scotia, ahead of the release of a Health Equity Framework, focused on addressing inequities within publicly funded institutions.

METHODS

Purposive sampling was used to recruit individuals working on health equity initiatives including those in high-level leadership positions within the Nova Scotia health system. Individual interviews and a joint interview session were conducted. Topics of discussion included current integration of health equity through existing strategies and perceptions within participant roles. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to guide coding and analysis, with interviews transcribed and deductively analyzed in NVivo. Qualitative description was employed to describe study findings as barriers and facilitators to health equity integration.

RESULTS

Eleven individual interviews and one joint interview (n = 5 participants) were conducted, a total of 16 participants. Half (n = 8) of the participants were High-level Leaders (i.e., manager or higher) within the health system. We found that existing strategies within the health system were inadequate to address inequities, and variation in the use of indicators of health equity was indicative of a lack of health equity integration. Applying the CFIR allowed us to identify barriers to and facilitators of health equity integration, with the power of legislation to implement a Health Equity Framework, alongside the value of partnerships and engagement both being seen as key facilitators to support health equity integration. Barriers to health equity integration included inadequate resources devoted to health equity work, a lack of diversity among senior system leaders and concerns that existing efforts to integrate health equity were siloed.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that health equity integration needs to be prioritized within the health service and delivery system within Nova Scotia and identifies possible strategies for implementation. Appropriate measures, resources and partnerships need to be put in place to support health equity integration following the introduction of the Health Equity Framework, which was viewed as a key driver for action. Greater diversity within health system leadership was also identified as an important strategy to support integration. Our findings have implications for other jurisdictions seeking to advance health equity across health service and delivery systems.

Reach, Adoption, and Implementation Strategies of a Telehealth Fall Prevention Program: Perspectives From Francophone Communities Across Canada

Introduction. A fall may impact a person's physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Fall prevention programs are being implemented to reduce these negative outcomes. However, linguistic barriers in health services may reduce access to such prevention programs. A telehealth fall prevention program was designed to increase access to such programs in French for Francophone minority communities in Canada. This capacity-building project aimed to support community partners to deliver this telehealth program and document strategies used to reach, adopt, and implement the program within various Francophone and Acadian Minority Communities. Methods. A sequential explanatory mixed methodology was used to document reach, adoption, and implementation strategies and describe the lived experiences of program facilitators and organization representatives. Reach, adoption, and implementation were documented and analyzed descriptively, while lived experiences were analyzed using content analysis following the Consortium Framework for Implementation Research. Results. Twelve organization representatives or program facilitators from eight organizations operating in four different provinces participated in the study. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data on reach and adoption: external context, internal context, and capacity building. Four themes were identified as barriers and facilitators to implementation: level of preparation and time management, interpersonal relations and telepresence, exercise facilitation and safety, and technological problem-solving. Conclusion. Using tailored reach and adoption strategies such as prioritizing provinces with higher proportions of needs and training local community program facilitators may lead to the successful implementation of a new telehealth fall prevention program. Results from this study could potentially inform other primary prevention programs or telehealth program implementation.

A scoping review of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks - an appraisal of purpose, characteristics, usability, applicability, and testability

BACKGROUND

A proliferation of theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs) have been developed in the implementation science field to facilitate the implementation process. The basic features of these TMFs have been identified by several reviews. However, systematic appraisals on the quality of these TMFs are inadequate. To fill this gap, this study aimed to assess the usability, applicability, and testability of the current TMFs in a structured way.

METHODS

A scoping review method was employed. Electronic databases were searched to locate English and Chinese articles published between January 2000 and April 2022. Search terms were specific to implementation science. Additionally, hand searches were administered to identify articles from related reviews. Purpose and characteristics such as the type of TMF, analytical level, and observation unit were extracted. Structured appraisal criteria were adapted from Birken et al.'s Theory Comparison and Selection Tool (T-CaST) to conduct an in-depth analysis of the TMFs' usability, applicability, and testability.

RESULTS

A total of 143 TMFs were included in this analysis. Among them, the most common purpose was to identify barriers and facilitators. Most TMFs applied the descriptive method to summarize the included constructs or the prescriptive method to propose courses of implementation actions. TMFs were mainly mid-range theories built on existing conceptual frameworks or demonstrated grand theories. The usability of the TMFs needs to be improved in terms of the provision of conceptually matched strategies to barriers and facilitators and instructions on the TMFs usage. Regarding the applicability, little attention was paid to the constructs of macro-level context, stages of scale-up and sustainability, and implementation outcomes like feasibility, cost, and penetration. Also, fewer TMFs could propose recommended research and measurement methods to apply the TMFs. Lastly, explicit hypotheses or propositions were lacking in most of the TMFs, and empirical evidence was lacking to support the claimed mechanisms between framework elements in testability.

CONCLUSIONS

Common limitations were found in the usability, application, and testability of the current TMFs. The findings of this review could provide insights for developers of TMFs for future theoretical advancements.

Understanding community- and system-capacity change over time: A close look at changing social capital in Evidence2Success communities

Evidence in majority White and low-population areas suggest that community prevention systems can create social capital that is needed to support high-quality implementation and sustainability of evidence-based programs. This study expands prior work by asking the question: How does community social capital change during the implementation of a community prevention system in low-income, highly populated communities of color? Data were collected from Community Board members and Key Leaders in five communities. Linear mixed effect models analyzed data on reports of social capital over time, first as reported by Community Board members then by Key Leaders. Community Board members reported social capital improved significantly over time during the implementation of the Evidence2Success framework. Key Leader reports did not change significantly over time. These findings suggest that community prevention systems implemented in historically marginalized communities may help communities build social capital that is likely to support the dissemination and sustainability of evidence-based programs.

Process adaptations to community-engaged research for preventing victimization against trans women: Failure as a blueprint toward nonexploitative implementation science

Effective violence prevention interventions are largely inaccessible to trans women and trans femmes, despite clear evidence that disproportionate exposure to experiences of victimization is a social determinant of health disparity. Community-engaged implementation science paradigms hold promise for guiding research psychologists in the delivery of evidence-based programming to address drivers of health disparities impacting trans women and trans femmes. Unfortunately, guidance on how to engage in a process of real-time self-reflection to note where implementation is failing in its goals to establish reciprocal and sustainable (i.e., nonexploitative) community partnerships are lacking. We describe our application of a modified failure modes and effects analysis to guide data-informed adaptations to our community-engaged implementation research project, tailoring and delivering an evidence-based intervention to prevent victimization of trans women and trans femmes. By mapping our failure modes, we offer a blueprint for other research psychologists invested in advancing nonexploitative research in partnership with community. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Project UPLIFT: Adoption and implementation experiences of an epilepsy self-management program

RATIONALE

Project UPLIFT is an evidence-based epilepsy self-management program shown to prevent and treat depression through an 8-session, group telehealth intervention. Since 2012, the program has been disseminated by training community-based providers to deliver UPLIFT to people with epilepsy (PWE). Limited research has described the adoption, implementation, and practice-based maintenance of self-management programs like UPLIFT. We sought to gain a better understanding of this process from trained program adopters.

METHODS

A cross-sectional evaluation of adoption and implementation experiences was conducted. An online survey with closed- and open-ended questions was distributed to 120 UPLIFT program adopters to collect information about reasons for being trained and experiences implementing the program. Survey items were developed based on the RE-AIM model to assess program reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. For closed-ended responses, frequencies and cross-tabs were calculated. Open-ended responses were reviewed and grouped by theme.

RESULTS

41 respondents completed the survey (34% response rate). Respondents were from a variety of organizations including clinical (39%, n = 16), educational/research (17%, n = 7), and Epilepsy Foundation affiliates/chapters (12%, n = 5), among others. The most frequently endorsed reason for training in UPLIFT was an interest in supporting PWE (73%, n = 30). Most respondents rated delivering UPLIFT as very important (49%, n = 20) or important (32%, n = 13) to the organization. Sixty-one percent (n = 25) of respondents reported implementing (implementors) UPLIFT. Of those who had not yet implemented UPLIFT, 50% (n = 8) planned on implementing it at some point. Among program implementors, the most frequently reported implementation facilitators included participant interest (68%, n = 17), training (68%, n = 17), and organizational support (64%, n = 16). Program implementors indicated having program champions (80%, n = 20). The most frequently reported implementation challenge reported was recruitment (72%, n = 18). In open-ended responses, funding was a key theme that would facilitate continued implementation, but 48% (n = 12) responded that did not have access to resources and/or funding to help continue offering UPLIFT. Developing partnerships was recommended to improve the reach and maintenance of the program. Despite challenges, implementors agreed (44%, n = 11) or strongly agreed (36%, n = 9) that UPLIFT was effective in addressing mental health problems among program participants, and 76% (n = 19) plan on continuing to offer UPLIFT.

CONCLUSION

Implementation surveys increase understanding of program adoption and impact for dissemination trainees. Implementation benefits from program champions, strong partnerships, and sustained funding. Continued refinement of implementation support, such as developing a sustained referral system, maintaining relationships with trainees, supporting evaluation activities, and exploring opportunities for program updates to further enhance adoption, implementation, and maintenance.

Mechanisms of change in external implementation support: A conceptual model and case examples to guide research and practice

Background

External implementation support (EIS) is a well-recognized feature of implementation science and practice, often under related terms such as technical assistance and implementation facilitation. Existing models of EIS have gaps related to addressing practice outcomes at both individual and organizational levels, connecting practice activities to intended outcomes, or grounding in well-established theories of behavior and organization change. Moreover, there have been calls to clarify the mechanisms of change through which EIS influences related outcomes.

Method

In this article, we theorize about mechanisms of change within EIS. Our theorizing process aligns with the approach advocated by Kislov et al. We aim to consolidate prior EIS literature, combining related constructs from previous empirical and conceptual work while drawing on our extensive EIS experience to develop a higher-order, midrange theory of change.

Results

Our theory of change is empirically and practically informed, conceptually situated within an established grand theory of change, and guided by eight practice principles and social cognitive theory. The theory of change proposes 10 core practice components as mechanisms of change within EIS. When used according to underlying theory and principles, they are believed to contribute to favorable practice outcomes at individual, team, organizational, and system levels. The model offers flexibility by recognizing the need for sequential support processes and the demand to practice in dynamic and responsive ways. Case examples are presented to illustrate major themes and patterns of the model in action.

Conclusions

The proposed model is intended to support prospective EIS studies by conceptualizing discernable practice components with hypothesized relationships to proximal and distal practice outcomes. The model can be behaviorally operationalized to compliment and extend competency-based approaches to implementation support practitioner (ISP) training and coaching. Over time, the model should be refined based on new empirical findings and contributions from ISPs across the field.

Streamlined pediatric anxiety program for school mental health services

There needs to be serious transformation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into real-world solutions; otherwise, EBIs will never achieve the intended public health impact. In a randomized trial, we reported effects of a redesigned anxiety program. Herein, we described the redesign process that led to the program. Survey data revealed provider preferences for school mental health anxiety services. Focus groups and prototype feedback sessions revealed service barriers to uptake, implementation, and sustainability along with corresponding enabling strategies. Prototype feedback sessions also focused on refinement and fine-tuning of the redesign. In the end, traditional EBI strategies were transformed and packaged into six lessons, lasting 20-30 minutes each, and amenable to delivery in small-group format. The redesign achieved the intended purpose of retaining elements from cognitive and behavior therapy and social skills training for the target population of the intervention (e.g., 3rd to 5th graders with heterogeneous anxiety problems - identified and referred). The streamlined EBI is accessible from PBS LearningMedia™ - a service that hosts public, research-based, and school-ready materials.

Testing a community developed training protocol for an evidence-based treatment

The implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in community behavioral health settings is a recommended practice, yet training experienced by community-based clinicians may require novel and creative training methods. The current study focused on creating a training protocol for Alternative for Families: a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy from both evidence-based foundations and community-based agency feedback to promote better EBT integration into agencies. Twenty-four clinicians from three agencies were trained using a community-informed training protocol. Outcomes for clinician-reports of organizational functioning, self-reports of skill and knowledge, and observational single-subject data of clinician skills were assessed. Minimal improvements were found for clinician skills across self-report and observations. More research on tailoring trainings to meet needs of community agencies and clinicians should be explored to determine best practice in wide-scale implementation efforts.

Themes for evaluating the quality of initiatives to engage patients and family caregivers in decision-making in healthcare systems: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To identify the key themes for evaluating the quality of initiatives to engage patients and family caregivers in decision-making across the organisation and system domains of healthcare systems.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review. Seven databases of journal articles were searched from their inception to June 2019. Eligible articles were literature reviews published in English and provided useful information for determining aspects of engaging patients and family caregivers in decision-making to evaluate. We extracted text under three predetermined categories: structure, process and outcomes that were adapted from the Donabedian conceptual framework. These excerpts were then independently open-coded among four researchers. The subsequent themes and their corresponding excerpts were summarised to provide a rich description of each theme.

RESULTS

Of 7747 unique articles identified, 366 were potentially relevant, from which we selected the 42 literature reviews. 18 unique themes were identified across the three predetermined categories. There were six structure themes: engagement plan, level of engagement, time and timing of engagement, format and composition, commitment to support and environment. There were four process themes: objectives, engagement approach, communication and engagement activities. There were eight outcome themes: decision-making process, stakeholder relationship, capacity development, stakeholder experience, shape policy/service/programme, health status, healthcare quality, and cost-effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

The 18 themes and their descriptions provide a foundation for identifying constructs and selecting measures to evaluate the quality of initiatives for engaging patients and family caregivers in healthcare system decision-making within the organisation and system domains. The themes can be used to investigate the mechanisms through which relevant initiatives are effective and investigate their effectiveness.

Seven practices for pursuing equity through learning health systems: Notes from the field

INTRODUCTION

Despite learning health systems' focus on improvement in health outcomes, inequities in outcomes remain deep and persistent. To achieve and sustain health equity, it is critical that learning health systems (LHS) adapt and function in ways that directly prioritize equity.

METHODS

We present guidance, including seven core practices, borne from theory, evidence, and experience, for actors within LHS pursuing equity.

RESULTS

We provide a foundational definition of equity. We then offer seven core practices for how LHS may effectively pursue equity in health: establish principle, measure for equity, lead from lived experience, co-produce, redistribute power, practice a growth mindset, and engage beyond the healthcare system. We include three use cases that illustrate ways in which we have begun to center equity in the work of our own LHS.

CONCLUSION

The achievement of equity requires real transformation at individual, institutional, and structural levels and requires sustained and persistent effort.

Health system responsiveness: a systematic evidence mapping review of the global literature

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organisation framed responsiveness, fair financing and equity as intrinsic goals of health systems. However, of the three, responsiveness received significantly less attention. Responsiveness is essential to strengthen systems' functioning; provide equitable and accountable services; and to protect the rights of citizens. There is an urgency to make systems more responsive, but our understanding of responsiveness is limited. We therefore sought to map existing evidence on health system responsiveness.

METHODS

A mixed method systemized evidence mapping review was conducted. We searched PubMed, EbscoHost, and Google Scholar. Published and grey literature; conceptual and empirical publications; published between 2000 and 2020 and English language texts were included. We screened titles and abstracts of 1119 publications and 870 full texts.

RESULTS

Six hundred twenty-one publications were included in the review. Evidence mapping shows substantially more publications between 2011 and 2020 (n = 462/621) than earlier periods. Most of the publications were from Europe (n = 139), with more publications relating to High Income Countries (n = 241) than Low-to-Middle Income Countries (n = 217). Most were empirical studies (n = 424/621) utilized quantitative methodologies (n = 232), while qualitative (n = 127) and mixed methods (n = 63) were more rare. Thematic analysis revealed eight primary conceptualizations of 'health system responsiveness', which can be fitted into three dominant categorizations: 1) unidirectional user-service interface; 2) responsiveness as feedback loops between users and the health system; and 3) responsiveness as accountability between public and the system.

CONCLUSIONS

This evidence map shows a substantial body of available literature on health system responsiveness, but also reveals evidential gaps requiring further development, including: a clear definition and body of theory of responsiveness; the implementation and effectiveness of feedback loops; the systems responses to this feedback; context-specific mechanism-implementation experiences, particularly, of LMIC and fragile-and conflict affected states; and responsiveness as it relates to health equity, minority and vulnerable populations. Theoretical development is required, we suggest separating ideas of services and systems responsiveness, applying a stronger systems lens in future work. Further agenda-setting and resourcing of bridging work on health system responsiveness is suggested.

A mixed-methods protocol for identifying successful sustainability strategies for nutrition and physical activity interventions in childcare

BACKGROUND

Despite the importance of sustainability for nutrition and physical activity in public health interventions, limited studies have explored the factors that promote and inhibit evidence-based program sustainment in the childcare setting. This study protocol describes a mixed-methods approach to develop novel sustainability strategies based on real-world settings and stakeholder feedback, with the goal of providing support for future obesity prevention programs and related studies on intervention sustainability. Two interventions, Together, We Inspire Smart Eating (WISE) and The Food Friends' (FF) Fun with New Foods and Get Movin' with Might Moves, are studied to this end.

METHODS

The study will deploy an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design. First, the research team will collect a quantitative survey to assess rates of sustainment among WISE and Food Friends sites. We expect to collect 150 surveys from WISE and FF sites combined. Data from these surveys will be used to purposively sample sites for 12 to 18 site visits. Specifically, we will purposively sample low, partial, and high sustaining sites where we will conduct key informant interviews and focus groups as well as validate self-reports on sustainability. Survey content, qualitative interviews, and coding will be based on the Dynamic Sustainability Framework. We will draw on findings from the quantitative survey on predictors of sustainment and the qualitative site visits to understand varying levels of program sustainment. Then, we will utilize evidence-based quality improvement sessions to engage stakeholders in developing a multi-component sustainability strategy.

DISCUSSION

This study will provide a stakeholder-informed sustainability strategy ready for testing in a full-scale trial examining effects on sustainment of evidence-based nutrition and physical activity practices in childcare. We expect this strategy to be relevant for educators and consistent with the views of administrators as a guide for future practice for the targeted nutrition and physical activity interventions and beyond.

Building the Evidence Base to Inform Planned Intervention Adaptations by Practitioners Serving Health Disparity Populations

Many evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have been developed to prevent or treat major health conditions. However, many EBIs have exhibited limited adoption, reach, and sustainability when implemented in diverse community settings. This limitation is especially pronounced in low-resource settings that serve health disparity populations. Often, practitioners identify problems with existing EBIs originally developed and tested with populations different from their target population and introduce needed adaptations to make the intervention more suitable. Although some EBIs have been extensively adapted for diverse populations and evaluated, most local adaptations to improve fit for health disparity populations are not well documented or evaluated. As a result, empirical evidence is often lacking regarding the potential effectiveness of specific adaptations practitioners may be considering. We advocate an expansion in the emphasis of adaptation research from researcher-led interventions to research that informs practitioner-led adaptations. By presenting a research vision and strategies needed to build this area of science, we aim to inform research that facilitates successful adaptation and equitable implementation and delivery of EBIs that reduce health disparities.

Scaling up Evidence-Based Interventions in US Public Systems to Prevent Behavioral Health Problems: Challenges and Opportunities

A number of programs, policies, and practices have been tested using rigorous scientific methods and shown to prevent behavioral health problems (Catalano et al., Lancet 379:1653-1664, 2012; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Yet these evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are not widely used in public systems, and they have limited reach (Glasgow et al., American Journal of Public Health 102:1274-1281, 2012; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2009; Prinz and Sanders, Clinical Psychology Review 27:739-749, 2007). To address this challenge and improve public health and well-being at a population level, the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) formed the Mapping Advances in Prevention Science (MAPS) IV Translation Research Task Force, which considered ways to scale up EBIs in five public systems: behavioral health, child welfare, education, juvenile justice, and public health. After reviewing other efforts to scale up EBIs in public systems, a common set of factors were identified as affecting scale-up in all five systems. The most important factor was the degree to which these systems enacted public policies (i.e., statutes, regulations, and guidance) requiring or recommending EBIs and provided public funds for EBIs. Across systems, other facilitators of scale-up were creating EBIs that are ready for scale-up, public awareness of and support for EBIs, community engagement and capacity to implement EBIs, leadership support for EBIs, a skilled workforce capable of delivering EBIs, and data monitoring and evaluation capacity. It was concluded that the following actions are needed to significantly increase EBI scale-up in public systems: (1) provide more public policies and funding to support the creation, testing, and scaling up of EBIs; (2) develop and evaluate specific frameworks that address systems level barriers impeding EBI scale-up; and (3) promote public support for EBIs, community capacity to implement EBIs at scale, and partnerships between community stakeholders, policy makers, practitioners, and scientists within and across systems.

Implementation Research Methodologies for Achieving Scientific Equity and Health Equity

Implementation science has great potential to improve the health of communities and individuals who are not achieving health equity. However, implementation science can exacerbate health disparities if its use is biased toward entities that already have the highest capacities for delivering evidence-based interventions. In this article, we examine several methodologic approaches for conducting implementation research to advance equity both in our understanding of what historically disadvantaged populations would need-what we call scientific equity-and how this knowledge can be applied to produce health equity. We focus on rapid ways to gain knowledge on how to engage, design research, act, share, and sustain successes in partnership with communities. We begin by describing a principle-driven partnership process between community members and implementation researchers to overcome disparities. We then review three innovative implementation method paradigms to improve scientific and health equity and provide examples of each. The first paradigm involves making efficient use of existing data by applying epidemiologic and simulation modeling to understand what drives disparities and how they can be overcome. The second paradigm involves designing new research studies that include, but do not focus exclusively on, populations experiencing disparities in health domains such as cardiovascular disease and co-occurring mental health conditions. The third paradigm involves implementation research that focuses exclusively on populations who have experienced high levels of disparities. To date, our scientific enterprise has invested disproportionately in research that fails to eliminate health disparities. The implementation research methods discussed here hold promise for overcoming barriers and achieving health equity.