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Implementing and evaluating Adaptive Mentorship Networks to strengthen primary care in Canada: protocol for a
Arun Radhakrishnan1,2, L Jayne Beselt3, Alesha C King4
1Bruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
BMJ Open
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Adaptive Mentorship Networks (AMNs) address Canada's healthcare crisis by strengthening provider capacity. This study evaluates AMN implementation to understand factors influencing their success and sustainability in diverse health systems.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Implementation Science
- Health Workforce Development
Background:
- Canada faces a health workforce crisis straining primary care, particularly for chronic pain, mental health, and substance use disorders.
- Adaptive Mentorship Networks (AMNs) offer an interprofessional solution to enhance provider capacity, psychological safety, and compassionate care.
- Understanding the determinants of successful AMN implementation, spread, adaptation, and sustainability is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the implementation of 11 Adaptive Mentorship Networks (AMNs) across Canada over three years.
- To identify determinants influencing AMN implementation success at both ecosystem and dyadic (mentor-mentee) levels.
- To inform strategies for effective AMN implementation and sustainability within Canadian healthcare.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year mixed-methods protocol employing implementation science and systems thinking.
- Phase I: Exploration of implementation determinants and mentorship behavioral influences via document review, interviews, and systems mapping.
- Phase II: Utilization of a Learning Alliance to select and operationalize implementation strategies.
- Phase III: Co-development and evaluation of AMN-specific logic models and strategies.
Main Results:
- Anticipated outputs include a compendium of implementation determinants and critical mentorship capabilities, opportunities, and motivations.
- Identification of context-specific strategies for optimizing AMN implementation and mentorship engagement.
- Development of site-specific logic models and a cross-site implementation blueprint for evaluation.
Conclusions:
- This study advances a systems-informed approach to implementing AMNs across diverse Canadian health systems.
- Findings will provide critical insights into the factors driving the successful implementation and sustainability of mentorship networks.
- The research has significant implications for mentorship-enabled workforce development and addressing healthcare challenges.
