Advancing Evidence-Based Practice Through Social Movement Strategies: A Case Study in Healthcare Transformation

The importance of evidence-based practice (EBP) is well recognized, yet its implementation remains challenging across healthcare systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where resource constraints, workforce turnover, and organizational barriers can hinder practice change. The traditional approach to implementation has focused on training, guidelines, and leadership support; however, these strategies do not always sustain frontline staff engagement.

This descriptive case study examined how social movement strategies supported a multi-year EBP implementation initiative within a Philippine academic-clinical partnership.

Program documents, training records, implementation reports, curriculum materials, and internal records of guideline-related activities were reviewed. Data were organized using the Social Movement Action Framework, with attention to preconditions for change, social movement mechanisms, and implementation outcomes.

The initiative included champion training, guideline integration, awareness activities, academic-clinical collaboration, and practice-focused implementation efforts related to breastfeeding, vascular access device management, and pressure injury prevention. These activities provided observable process indicators of stakeholder engagement, shared ownership, and continued use of guideline-informed practices.

Social movement strategies may offer a useful complementary lens for understanding how EBP implementation gains momentum in real-world healthcare settings. Additional studies should explore their relationship to implementation outcomes and clinical care processes.