Strengthening community-clinical linkages to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in rural NC: feasibility phase of the CHANGE study

People and sites as community resources for preventing and managing chronic health conditions: A conceptual analysis

The prevention and management of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) require community-based efforts-especially as their burden grows, and recognition of the need for engaging diverse stakeholders in care grows. The aim of this conceptual analysis was to categorise existing community resources (people and sites) used to support such efforts, the mechanisms by which they work, and the conditions that constrain their effectiveness. We developed an initial framework for categorising community resources. We then used a sample of the literature- 24 studies from 12 countries-to refine and enrich the framework. We identified seven categories of sites ('where': House, Meeting place, Community health centre, Primary health care centre, Mobile clinic, Pharmacy, and Hospital) and ten categories of people ('who': Community Health Worker, Nurse/Midwife, Health educator, Physician, Primary Health Care Worker, Peer Group, Navigator, Pharmacist, Cultural Advisor, Family caregiver). We identified eight mechanisms through which those resources improve NCD prevention and management: Context specific engagement, Personalised and integrated care, Community health worker led knowledge dissemination, Social support through family and/or friends, Extending the reach of the health system, Social support through peer groups, Task shifting, and Training of health workforce. We identified two broad categories of constraints on these mechanisms: (i) health system barriers such as inadequate workforce, training, coordination and engagement; and (ii) socio-economic, political, and cultural barriers to care. The conceptual categories (of people and sites as resources, the mechanisms through which they work and the contextual constraints on their effectiveness) identified in this analysis may be useful in further analysing current approaches in NCD efforts using community resources, in informing the development of community-based efforts, and in exploring the commonalities and transferable insights between different locations or settings around the world and between different efforts to prevent and manage NCDs within communities.

Characteristics of programmes designed to link community-dwelling older adults in high-income countries from community to clinical sectors: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Research on effectively navigating older adults into primary care is urgently needed. Community-clinic linkage models (CCLMs) aim to improve population health by linking the health and community sectors in order to improve patients' access to healthcare and, ultimately, population health. However, research on community-based points of entry linking adults with untreated medical needs into the healthcare sector is nascent. CCLMs implemented for the general adult population are not necessarily accessible to older adults. Given the recency of the CCLM literature and the seeming rarity of CCLM interventions designed for older adults, it is appropriate to employ scoping review methodology in order to generate a comprehensive review of the available information on this topic. This protocol will inform a scoping review that reviews characteristics of community-based programmes that link older adults with the healthcare sector.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The present protocol was developed as per JBI Evidence Synthesis best practice guidance and reporting items for the development of scoping review protocols. The proposed scoping review will follow Levac and colleagues' update to Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology. Healthcare access at the system and individual levels will be operationalised in data extraction and analysis in accordance with Levesque and colleagues' Conceptual Framework of Access to Health. The protocol complies with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. Beginning in August 2023 or later, citation databases (AgeLine (Ebsco); CINAHL Complete; MEDLINE (PubMed); Scopus Advanced (Elsevier); Social Services Abstracts (ProQuest); Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate)) and grey literature (Google; American Public Health Association Annual Meeting Conference Proceedings; SIREN Evidence & Resource Library) will be searched.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The authors plan to disseminate their findings in conference proceedings and publication in a peer-reviewed journal and deposit extracted data in the Figshare depository. The study does not require Institutional Review Board approval.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Protocol registered in Open Science Framework (DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2EF9D).

Tailoring implementation strategies for scale-up: Preparing to take the Med-South Lifestyle program to scale statewide

Background

Tailoring implementation strategies for scale-up involves engaging stakeholders, identifying implementation determinants, and designing implementation strategies to target those determinants. The purpose of this paper is to describe the multiphase process used to engage stakeholders in tailoring strategies to scale-up the Med-South Lifestyle Program, a research-supported lifestyle behavior change intervention that translates the Mediterranean dietary pattern for the southeastern US.

Methods

Guided by Barker et al. framework, we tailored scale-up strategies over four-phases. In Phase 1, we engaged stakeholders from delivery systems that implement lifestyle interventions and from support systems that provide training and other support for statewide scale-up. In Phase 2, we partnered with delivery systems (community health centers and health departments) to design and pilot test implementation strategies (2014-2019). In Phase 3, we partnered with both delivery and support systems to tailor Phase 2 strategies for scale-up (2019-2021) and are now testing those tailored strategies in a type 3 hybrid study (2021-2023). This paper reports on the Phase 3 methods used to tailor implementation strategies for scale-up. To identify determinants of scale-up, we surveyed North Carolina delivery systems (n = 114 community health centers and health departments) and elicited input from delivery and support system stakeholders. We tailored strategies to address identified determinants by adapting the form of Phase 2 strategies while retaining their functions. We pilot tested strategies in three sites and collected data on intermediate, implementation, and effectiveness outcomes.

Findings

Determinants of scale-up included limited staffing, competing priorities, and safety concerns during COVID-19, among others. Tailoring yielded two levels of implementation strategies. At the level of the delivery system, strategies included implementation teams, an implementation blueprint, and cyclical small tests of change. At the level of the support system, strategies included training, educational materials, quality monitoring, and technical assistance. Findings from the pilot study provide evidence for the implementation strategies' reach, acceptability, and feasibility, with mixed findings on fidelity. Strategies were only moderately successful at building delivery system capacity to implement Med-South.

Conclusions

This paper describes the multiphase approach used to plan for Med-South scale-up, including the methods used to tailor two-levels of implementation strategies by identifying and targeting multilevel determinants.

A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study of a Community Health Worker-Delivered Intervention to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk in a Rural, Underserved Non-Hispanic Black Population: The CHANGE Study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Carolina Heart Alliance Networking for Greater Equity (CHANGE) Program, an adapted evidence-based cardiovascular disease risk reduction intervention delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW) to rural adults.

DESIGN

Hybrid implementation-effectiveness study with a pre-post design.

SETTING

North Carolina Federally Qualified Health Center and local health department in a rural, medically underserved area.

SAMPLE

Participants (n = 255) included 87% Non-Hispanic Black with a mean age of 57 years; 84% had diagnosed hypertension, 55% had diabetes, and 65% had hypercholesterolemia.

INTERVENTION

A CHW-delivered, low-intensity, 4-month behavioral lifestyle intervention promoting a southern-style Mediterranean dietary pattern and physical activity.

MEASURES

We measured number and representativeness of participants reached and retained, intervention delivery fidelity, weight, blood pressure, and self-reported dietary and physical activity behaviors.

ANALYSIS

Pre-post changes at 4 months were analyzed using paired t-tests.

RESULTS

Study participants completed 90% of planned intervention contacts; 87% were retained. Intervention delivery fidelity measures showed participants receiving a mean of 3.5 counseling visits, 2.7 booster calls, and on average completing 1.7 modules, setting 1.8 goals, and receiving 1.3 referrals per visit. There were significant mean reductions in systolic (-2.5 mmHg, P < .05) and diastolic blood pressure (-2.1 mmHg, P < .01); the proportion of participants with systolic blood pressure <130 increased by 7 % points (P = .05), and diastolic pressure <80 by 9 percentage points (P < .01). Dietary behaviors improved significantly with average weekly servings of nuts increased by .5 serving (P < .0001), and fruits and vegetables by .8 daily serving (P < .0001). Physical activity also increased on average by 45 min./week (P < .001). Weight did not change significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

The CHANGE program showed both implementation and program effectiveness and adds to the evidence supporting CHW-delivered lifestyle interventions to reduce CVD risk among rural, Non-Hispanic Black, and medically underserved populations.

Impact of Community Health Workers on Access to Care for Rural Populations in the United States: A Systematic Review

Community Health Worker (CHW) interventions have shown potential to reduce inequities for underserved populations. However, there is a lack of support for CHW integration in the delivery of health care. This may be of particular importance in rural areas in the Unites States where access to care remains problematic. This review aims to describe CHW interventions and their outcomes in rural populations in the US. Peer reviewed literature was searched in PubMed and PsycINFO for articles published in English from 2015 to February 2021. Title and abstract screening was performed followed by full text screening. Quality of the included studies was assessed using the Downs and Black score. A total of 26 studies met inclusion criteria. The largest proportion were pre-post program evaluation or cohort studies (46.2%). Many described CHW training (69%). Almost a third (30%) indicated the CHW was integrated within the health care team. Interventions aimed to provide health education (46%), links to community resources (27%), or both (27%). Chronic conditions were the concern for most interventions (38.5%) followed by women's health (34.6%). Nearly all studies reported positive improvement in measured outcomes. In addition, studies examining cost reported positive return on investment. This review offers a broad overview of CHW interventions in rural settings in the United States. It provides evidence that CHW can improve access to care in rural settings and may represent a cost-effective investment for the healthcare system.

Health Care Delivery Interventions for Hypertension Management in Underserved Populations in the United States: A Systematic Review

[Figure: see text].