Advancing implementation science in community settings: the implementation strategies applied in communities (ISAC)...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Implementation strategies are crucial for integrating evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into community settings.
• Current research lacks systematic characterization of these strategies, limiting generalizability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify commonly used implementation strategies for primary prevention EBIs in diverse community settings.
• To develop a compilation and selection process for pragmatic implementation strategies.
• To understand practitioners' dissemination preferences.

Main Methods:

• Recruited community researchers and practitioners using purposive and snowball sampling.
• Conducted semi-structured interviews guided by the RE-AIM framework to explore barriers and strategies.
• Analyzed data using a rapid deductive approach with a coding matrix.

Main Results:

• Identified 40 unique implementation strategies, with 'conduct pragmatic evaluation,' 'provide training,' and 'change adaptable program components' being most frequent.
• Barriers were most commonly addressed within the implementation and adoption phases of the RE-AIM framework.
• Webinars and national public health organizations were preferred dissemination channels and sources.

Conclusions:

• Common strategies like training and technical assistance are prevalent, alongside novel approaches.
• Dissemination efforts should leverage broad-reaching public health organizations.
• A new compilation and selection process can aid researchers and practitioners in applying strategies to improve EBI delivery.