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✪ Operationalizing the ‘pragmatic’ measures construct using a stakeholder feedback and a multi-method approach

Authors:

Cameo F. Stanick, Heather M. Halko, Caitlin N. Dorsey, Bryan J. Weiner, Byron J. Powell, Lawrence A. Palinkas & Cara C. Lewis

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

Published: November 2018

Read the full text in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research

Abstract:

Context

Implementation science measures are rarely used by stakeholders to inform and enhance clinical program change. Little is known about what makes implementation measures pragmatic (i.e., practical) for use in community settings; thus, the present study’s objective was to generate a clinical stakeholder-driven operationalization of a pragmatic measures construct.

Evidence acquisition

The pragmatic measures construct was defined using: 1) a systematic literature review to identify dimensions of the construct using PsycINFO and PubMed databases, and 2) interviews with an international stakeholder panel (N = 7) who were asked about their perspectives of pragmatic measures.

Evidence synthesis

Combined results from the systematic literature review and stakeholder interviews revealed a final list of 47 short statements (e.g., feasible, low cost, brief) describing pragmatic measures, which will allow for the development of a rigorous, stakeholder-driven conceptualization of the pragmatic measures construct.

Conclusions

Results revealed significant overlap between terms related to the pragmatic construct in the existing literature and stakeholder interviews. However, a number of terms were unique to each methodology. This underscores the importance of understanding stakeholder perspectives of criteria measuring the pragmatic construct. These results will be used to inform future phases of the project where stakeholders will determine the relative importance and clarity of each dimension of the pragmatic construct, as well as their priorities for the pragmatic dimensions. Taken together, these results will be incorporated into a pragmatic rating system for existing implementation science measures to support implementation science and practice.

**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**

The Pediatric Guideline Adherence and Outcomes (PEGASUS) programme in severe traumatic brain injury: A single-centre hybrid implementation and effectiveness study

Authors:

Monica S. Vavilala, Mary A. King, Jen-Ting Yang, Scott L. Erickson, Brianna Mills, Rosemary M. Grant, Carolyn Blayney, Qian Qiu, Randall M. Chesnut, Kenneth M. Jaffe, Bryan J. Weiner, & Brian D. Johnston

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

Subscription Required for Full Text Access

Published: November 2018

Read the full text in the subscription access journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health

Measuring Constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in the Context of Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Federally Qualified Health Center

Authors:

Michelle C. Kegler, Shuting Liang, Bryan J. Weiner, Shin Ping Tu, Daniela B. Friedman, Beth A. Glenn, Alison K. Herrmann, Betsy Risendal, Maria E. Fernandez

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

Published: September 2018

Read the full text in the subscription access journal Health Services Research

Assessing Levels and Correlates of Implementation of Evidence-Based Approaches for Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study With Federally Qualified Health Centers

Authors:

Timothy J. Walker, Betsy Risendal, Michelle C. Kegler, Daniela B. Friedman, Bryan J. Weiner, Rebecca S. Williams, Shin-Ping Tu, and Maria E. Fernandez

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

Published: July 2018

Read the full text in the subscription access journal Health Education & Behavior

✪ From Classification to Causality: Advancing Understanding of Mechanisms of Change in Implementation Science

Authors:

Cara C. Lewis, Predrag Klasnja, Byron J. Powell, Aaron R. Lyon, Leah Tuzzio, Salene Jones, Callie Walsh-Bailey and Bryan J. Weiner

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

✪ Open Access

Published: May 2018

Read the full text in the open access journal Frontiers in Public Health

Abstract:

Background

The science of implementation has offered little toward understanding how different implementation strategies work. To improve outcomes of implementation efforts, the field needs precise, testable theories that describe the causal pathways through which implementation strategies function. In this perspective piece, we describe a four-step approach to developing causal pathway models for implementation strategies.

Building causal models

First, it is important to ensure that implementation strategies are appropriately specified. Some strategies in published compilations are well defined but may not be specified in terms of its core component that can have a reliable and measureable impact. Second, linkages between strategies and mechanisms need to be generated. Existing compilations do not offer mechanisms by which strategies act, or the processes or events through which an implementation strategy operates to affect desired implementation outcomes. Third, it is critical to identify proximal and distal outcomes the strategy is theorized to impact, with the former being direct, measurable products of the strategy and the latter being one of eight implementation outcomes (1). Finally, articulating effect modifiers, like preconditions and moderators, allow for an understanding of where, when, and why strategies have an effect on outcomes of interest.

Future directions

We argue for greater precision in use of terms for factors implicated in implementation processes; development of guidelines for selecting research design and study plans that account for practical constructs and allow for the study of mechanisms; psychometrically strong and pragmatic measures of mechanisms; and more robust curation of evidence for knowledge transfer and use.

**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**

✪ An updated protocol for a systematic review of implementation-related measures

Authors:

Cara C. Lewis, Kayne D. Mettert, Caitlin N. Dorsey, Ruben G. Martinez, Bryan J. Weiner, Elspeth Nolen, Cameo Stanick, Heather Halko and Byron J. Powell

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

✪ Open Access

Published: April 2018

Read the full text in the open access journal Systematic Reviews

Abstract:

Background

Implementation science is the study of strategies used to integrate evidence-based practices into real-world settings (Eccles and Mittman, Implement Sci. 1(1):1, 2006). Central to the identification of replicable, feasible, and effective implementation strategies is the ability to assess the impact of contextual constructs and intervention characteristics that may influence implementation, but several measurement issues make this work quite difficult. For instance, it is unclear which constructs have no measures and which measures have any evidence of psychometric properties like reliability and validity. As part of a larger set of studies to advance implementation science measurement (Lewis et al., Implement Sci. 10:102, 2015), we will complete systematic reviews of measures that map onto the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (Damschroder et al., Implement Sci. 4:50, 2009) and the Implementation Outcomes Framework (Proctor et al., Adm Policy Ment Health. 38(2):65-76, 2011), the protocol for which is described in this manuscript.

Methods

Our primary databases will be PubMed and Embase. Our search strings will be comprised of five levels: (1) the outcome or construct term; (2) terms for measure; (3) terms for evidence-based practice; (4) terms for implementation; and (5) terms for mental health. Two trained research specialists will independently review all titles and abstracts followed by full-text review for inclusion. The research specialists will then conduct measure-forward searches using the “cited by” function to identify all published empirical studies using each measure. The measure and associated publications will be compiled in a packet for data extraction. Data relevant to our Psychometric and Pragmatic Evidence Rating Scale (PAPERS) will be independently extracted and then rated using a worst score counts methodology reflecting “poor” to “excellent” evidence.

Discussion

We will build a centralized, accessible, searchable repository through which researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders can identify psychometrically and pragmatically strong measures of implementation contexts, processes, and outcomes. By facilitating the employment of psychometrically and pragmatically strong measures identified through this systematic review, the repository would enhance the cumulativeness, reproducibility, and applicability of research findings in the rapidly growing field of implementation science.

**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**

✪ Readiness to Change Over Time: Change Commitment and Change Efficacy in a Workplace Health-Promotion Trial

Authors:

Christian D. Helfrich, Marlana J. Kohn, Austin Stapleton, Claire L. Allen, Kristen Elizabeth Hammerback, K. C. Gary Chan, Amanda T. Parrish, Daron E. Ryan, Bryan J. Weiner, Jeffrey R. Harris, & Peggy A. Hannon

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

✪ Open Access

Published: April 2018

Read the full text in the open access journal Frontiers in Public Health

Abstract:

Introduction

Organizational readiness to change may be a key determinant of implementation success and a mediator of the effectiveness of implementation interventions. If organizational readiness can be reliably and validly assessed at the outset of a change initiative, it could be used to assess the effectiveness of implementation-support activities by measuring changes in readiness factors over time.

Methods

We analyzed two waves of readiness-to-change survey data collected as part of a three-arm, randomized controlled trial to implement evidence-based health promotion practices in small worksites in low-wage industries. We measured five readiness factors: context (favorable broader conditions); change valence (valuing health promotion); information assessment (demands and resources to implement health promotion); change commitment (an intention to implement health promotion); and change efficacy (a belief in shared ability to implement health promotion). We expected commitment and efficacy to increase at intervention sites along with their self-reported effort to implement health promotion practices, termed wellness-program effort. We compared means between baseline and 15 months, and between intervention and control sites. We used linear regression to test whether intervention and control sites differed in their change-readiness scores over time.

Results

Only context and change commitment met reliability thresholds. Change commitment declined significantly for both control (−0.39) and interventions sites (−0.29) from baseline to 15 months, while context did not change for either. Only wellness program effort at 15 months, but not at baseline, differed significantly between control and intervention sites (1.20 controls, 2.02 intervention). Regression analyses resulted in two significant differences between intervention and control sites in changes from baseline to 15 months: (1) intervention sites exhibited significantly smaller change in context scores relative to control sites over time and (2) intervention sites exhibited significantly higher changes in wellness program effort relative to control sites.

Discussion

Contrary to our hypothesis, change commitment declined significantly at both Healthlinks and control sites, even as wellness-program effort increased significantly at HealthLinks sites. Regression to the mean may explain the decline in change commitment. Future research needs to assess whether baseline commitment is an independent predictor of wellness-program effort or an effect modifier of the HealthLinks intervention.

**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**

✪ Developing measures to assess constructs from the Inner Setting domain of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research

Authors:

Maria E. Fernandez, Timothy J. Walker, Bryan J. Weiner, William A. Calo, Shuting Liang, Betsy Risendal, Daniela B. Friedman, Shin Ping Tu, Rebecca S. Williams, Sara Jacobs, Alison K. Herrmann and Michelle C. Kegler

University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.

✪ Open Access

Published: March 2018

Read the full text in the open access journal Implementation Science

Abstract:

Background

Scientists and practitioners alike need reliable, valid measures of contextual factors that influence implementation. Yet, few existing measures demonstrate reliability or validity. To meet this need, we developed and assessed the psychometric properties of measures of several constructs within the Inner Setting domain of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Methods

We searched the literature for existing measures for the 7 Inner Setting domain constructs (Culture Overall, Culture Stress, Culture Effort, Implementation Climate, Learning Climate, Leadership Engagement, and Available Resources). We adapted items for the healthcare context, pilot-tested the adapted measures in 4 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and implemented the revised measures in 78 FQHCs in the 7 states (N = 327 respondents) with a focus on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening practices. To psychometrically assess our measures, we conducted confirmatory factor analysis models (CFA; structural validity), assessed inter-item consistency (reliability), computed scale correlations (discriminant validity), and calculated inter-rater reliability and agreement (organization-level construct reliability and validity).

Results

CFAs for most constructs exhibited good model fit (CFI > 0.90, TLI > 0.90, SRMR < 0.08, RMSEA < 0.08), with almost all factor loadings exceeding 0.40. Scale reliabilities ranged from good (0.7 ≤ α < 0.9) to excellent (α ≥ 0.9). Scale correlations fell below 0.90, indicating discriminant validity. Inter-rater reliability and agreement were sufficiently high to justify measuring constructs at the clinic-level.

Conclusions

Our findings provide psychometric evidence in support of the CFIR Inner Setting measures. Our findings also suggest the Inner Setting measures from individuals can be aggregated to represent the clinic-level. Measurement of the Inner Setting constructs can be useful in better understanding and predicting implementation in FQHCs and can be used to identify targets of strategies to accelerate and enhance implementation efforts in FQHCs.

**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**