From Research-to-Practice: An Adaptation and Dissemination of the COMPASS Program for Home Care Workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational health and safety
• Public health interventions
• Social support systems

Background:

• Home care workers face unique injury risks and well-being challenges.
• Existing support programs require adaptation for broad implementation.
• The COMmunity of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) program was developed to address these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and disseminate the COMPASS program for home care workers.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the adapted COMPASS program.
• To identify facilitating factors for research translation in occupational safety.

Main Methods:

• Adaptation of the original COMPASS program for statewide training.
• Pilot testing of the adapted program with 42 home care workers.
• Evaluation using pre- and post-program outcome measures.
• Analysis of preliminary training evaluation data from 265 workers.

Main Results:

• The adapted COMPASS program demonstrated similar positive changes in psychosocial, safety, and health outcomes compared to the original trial.
• High ratings from workers indicated program satisfaction, usefulness, and intent to implement changes.
• Facilitating factors and lessons learned were identified for future program translation.

Conclusions:

• The adapted COMPASS program is a viable and effective intervention for improving home care worker health and safety.
• Statewide dissemination of the COMPASS program is feasible and recommended.
• The project provides valuable insights into translating research into practice for occupational safety interventions.