Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) in the pre-implementation phase: key steps and activities

Area of Science:

• Implementation Science
• Community-Engaged Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) facilitates collaboration between researchers and local partners to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs).
• EBQI integration into community-engaged dissemination and implementation literature remains inconsistent.
• This paper focuses on detailing EBQI's pre-implementation phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate the critical steps, activities, and outputs involved in the pre-implementation phase of EBQI.
• To provide a clear framework for understanding and applying EBQI in diverse settings.
• To enhance the consistency and replicability of EBQI processes in implementation research.

Main Methods:

• Comparative case study methodology applied across seven distinct EBQI projects.
• Key steps included research question specification, case selection, codebook construction, data coding, and cross-case comparison.
• Cases encompassed varied settings, EBIs, and research teams.

Main Results:

• Identified five key steps in the EBQI pre-implementation process: team formation, determinant prioritization, strategy selection, strategy specification, and strategy refinement.
• Highlighted specific activities illustrating each step's execution.
• Outputs comprised prioritized implementation determinants, EBI adaptations, and selected implementation strategies.

Conclusions:

• The study delineates the steps and activities of EBQI, offering a structured approach.
• This detailed description aims to improve the replicability of the EBQI process in future implementation research.
• The findings contribute to standardizing EBQI methodologies for broader application.