Advice-seeking during implementation: a network study of clinicians participating in a learning collaborative

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Social Network Analysis
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Successful implementation of evidence-based practices relies on knowledge transfer among clinicians.
• Learning collaboratives are a strategy to improve implementation and quality improvement.
• Understanding advice-seeking patterns can illuminate mechanisms of learning collaboratives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine advice-seeking patterns among mental health clinicians in learning collaboratives.
• To apply transactive memory system theory to understand network evolution during implementation.
• To identify factors influencing the formation and maintenance of advice-seeking relationships.

Main Methods:

• Social network analysis and a pretest-post-test design were used.
• 146 participants from 27 agencies were surveyed before and after learning sessions.
• Exponential random graph models analyzed relationship formation based on expertise, accessibility, and prior ties.

Main Results:

• Clinicians sought advice from those with perceived expertise and accessibility, particularly within their organization.
• Existing relationships and network structures influenced advice-seeking patterns.
• Advice-seeking did not differ by clinician role or experience level.

Conclusions:

• Learning collaboratives can facilitate implementation by enhancing clinicians' access to expertise.
• Promoting awareness of and access to expert knowledge is crucial for fidelity.
• Further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of learning collaboratives in network building.