Specifying and Reporting Implementation Strategies Used in a School-Based Prevention Efficacy Trial

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Public Health Research
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Implementation strategies in efficacy and effectiveness studies are often underreported.
• Tracking these strategies can enhance future research and real-world application.
• Project POWER, a school-based trial, serves as a case study for reporting strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the retrospective identification and specification of implementation strategies used in a school-based efficacy trial.
• To highlight the importance of documenting implementation strategies in early-stage research.
• To inform future research and practice by detailing strategies used in Project POWER.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective approach was used to identify implementation strategies from the Project POWER trial.
• An established taxonomy of school-based implementation strategies was utilized.
• Reporting guidelines for actors, actions, targets, temporality, dose, and outcomes were applied.

Main Results:

• Thirty-seven distinct implementation strategies were identified in the Project POWER trial.
• Key strategy categories included 'Train and Educate Stakeholders,' 'Use Evaluative and Iterative Strategies,' and 'Develop Stakeholder Interrelationships.'
• Strategies primarily targeted individual characteristics, implementation processes, inner settings, and aimed to improve fidelity, acceptability, feasibility, and adoption.

Conclusions:

• Implementation strategies employed during efficacy research can be successfully identified retrospectively.
• Specifying these strategies provides valuable insights for future trials and routine practice.
• This approach can optimize the selection and adaptation of strategies to enhance intervention outcomes.