Bundling implementation strategies supports outcome measure adoption in stroke rehabilitation: preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND: Over 80% of people who experience a stroke present with residual impairment of the upper extremity, such as the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. However, rarely do stroke rehabilitation practitioners (e.g., occupational therapists) use standardized outcome measures to objectively evaluate upper extremity function. Accordingly, the purpose of this project was to develop a bundle of implementation strategies that supports practitioners' adoption of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity in stroke rehabilitation practice. METHODS: We used tenets of Implementation Mapping to guide the development of our implementation strategy bundle. We partnered with one, large academic health system serving over 200 stroke patients annually through intensive rehabilitation care. Strategies were selected and developed through a multi-method process that included a review of the literature, qualitative input from our health system's practitioners and managers, and expert consultation. We also specified the hypothesized implementation "mechanisms" our strategies intended to change. Practitioners' adoption (yes/no) of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment was calculated by analyzing electronic health record documentation of the 6-month time frame before strategies were deployed compared to the 6-month time frame after deployment. RESULTS: Practitioners were exposed to the following implementation strategies to support Fugl-Meyer adoption: conduct educational meetings, prepare outcome measure champions, provide equipment, develop training materials, and adapt documentation systems. In the 6-months before deployment of our implementation strategies, practitioners implemented the Fugl-Meyer with 14.8% of stroke patients. In the six months after deployment, adoption of the Fugl-Meyer increased to 73.8% (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: When systematically developed in collaboration with health system partners, a bundle of implementation strategies may support outcome measure adoption in stroke rehabilitation. Improving the use of standardized outcome measures is of paramount importance in stroke rehabilitation to objectively monitor patients' progress or decline, to demonstrate the value of rehabilitation services for enhancing patients' recovery, and to advocate for continued reimbursement for rehabilitation care. Future opportunities lie in further specifying the mechanisms through which implementation strategies are intended to work and how those mechanisms contribute to strategy effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT registration: NCT04888416; May 06, 2021.

Preliminary evaluation of home-delivered meals for reducing frailty in older adults at risk for mal-nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential benefit of home-delivered meals for reducing frailty levels among community-dwelling older adults at risk for malnutrition. DESIGN: A retrospective, single-group observational approach. SETTING: One large home-delivered meal agency in the Midwest United States. PARTICIPANTS: 1090 community-dwelling older adults who received home-delivered meal services, funded through the Older Americans Act, between June 2020 and December 2021. MEASUREMENT: Frailty status was measured by the Home Care Frailty Scale (HCFS) which was routinely administered by agency staff to home-delivered meal clients as part of a quality improvement project. The HCFS was administered at the start of meal services, 3-months after meals began, and 6-months after meals began. RESULTS: At baseline, 55.4% of clients were found to be at high risk for malnutrition. While there was a significant and consistent decline in HCFS throughout the follow-up period for both high and low nutritional risk groups, the reduction in frailty from baseline to 6-months was greater for the high nutritional risk group (Δ = -1.9; 95% CI: [-2.7, -1.1]; p < 0.001) compared to those with low nutritional risk (Δ = -1.5; 95% CI: [-2.3, -0.7]; p < 0.001). Compared to those who lived alone, clients who lived with other individuals presented with higher levels of frailty at baseline and 3-month follow-up for both low and high malnutrition risk groups. CONCLUSION: Home-delivered meal clients are commonly at risk for both frailty and malnutrition. Home-delivered meal programs, which are intended to reduce malnutrition among older adults, may serve as a promising solution for reducing frailty in the vulnerable aging population.

Supporting Mealtime Participation Among People Living With Dementia at Home: Challenges and Strategies for Caregivers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Approximately 60% of people living with dementia at home are unable to routinely participate in mealtime activities (e.g., eating, safe food preparation), warranting assistance to ensure people with dementia meet their health and nutritional needs. The purpose of this study was to characterize these barriers to mealtime participation and identify potential caregiver-led strategies to enhance mealtime activities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a qualitative descriptive approach and obtained semistructured interview data from (a) allied health professionals and (b) community-based nutrition program providers who frequently serve people with dementia. Interview data were examined by means of directed content analysis and framework methodology until data saturation was reached. Codes from our analysis were categorized according to constructs drawn from the Socio-Ecological Model for Developing and Implementing Comprehensive Dementia Care. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 20 participants who attributed common mealtime participation barriers to: impairments in functional status, cognitive status deficits, a lack of caregiver knowledge and skills, and unsafe living conditions. Caregiver-led strategies to overcome these barriers included: reducing auditory and visual distractions, providing written cues to perform mealtime activities, eliminating clutter and fall risk hazards, and leveraging community-based nutrition program providers (e.g., home-delivered meal providers). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: People with dementia face several eating and mealtime participation obstacles. Caregiver-led strategies implemented by family, friends, or community-based nutrition program providers may enhance mealtime activities at home. Findings point to opportunities to develop decision-making tools and resources for caregivers to optimize the health and nutrition of people with dementia.

Partnering with social service staff to implement pragmatic clinical trials: an interim analysis of implementation strategies.

BACKGROUND: With recent growth in the conduct of pragmatic clinical trials, the reliance on frontline staff to contribute to trial-related activities has grown as well. Active partnerships with staff members are often critical to pragmatic trial implementation, but rarely do research teams track and evaluate the specific "implementation strategies" used to support staff's involvement in trial procedures (e.g., participant recruitment). Accordingly, we adapted implementation science methodologies and conducted an interim analysis of the strategies deployed with social service staff involved in one multi-site pragmatic clinical trial. METHODS: We used a naturalistic, observational study design to characterize strategies our research team deployed with staff during monthly, virtual meetings. Data were drawn from meeting notes and recordings from the trial's 4-month Preparation phase and 8-month Implementation phase. Strategies were mapped to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change taxonomy and categorized into nine implementation clusters. Survey data were also collected from staff to identify the most useful strategies the research team should deploy when onboarding new staff members in the trial's second year. RESULTS: A total of 287 strategies were deployed. Strategies in the develop stakeholder interrelationships cluster predominated in both the Preparation (35%) and Implementation (31%) phases, followed by strategies in the use iterative and evaluative approaches cluster, though these were more prevalent during trial Preparation (24%) as compared to trial Implementation (18%). When surveyed on strategy usefulness, strategies in the provide interactive assistance, use financial approaches, and support staff clusters were most useful, per staff responses. CONCLUSIONS: While strategies to develop stakeholder interrelationships were used most frequently during trial Preparation and Implementation, program staff perceived strategies that provided technical assistance, supported clinicians, and used financial approaches to be most useful and should be deployed when onboarding new staff members. Research teams are encouraged to adapt and apply implementation strategy tracking methods when partnering with social service staff and deploy practical strategies that support pragmatic trial success given staff needs and preferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05357261. May 2, 2022.

Implementing the Better Starts For All Pilot Mobile and Telehealth Intervention in Ohio Appalachia: Improving Access to Maternal Healthcare.

INTRODUCTION: Women in Ohio Appalachia experience greater maternal health disparities relative to the general U.S. population, resulting in poorer health outcomes. This paper describes the Ohio Better Starts for All (BSFA) program that provides mobile maternal health services in rural Ohio. METHODS: This three-year intervention was delivered through a community-clinical partnership in Ohio Appalachia. The program's preliminary evaluation and opportunities were informed by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. RESULTS: Over six months, 86 patients were referred to the BSFA program, 54 (62.8 %) were seen by the maternal care team, and 14 out of 19 scheduled clinic days were held. Five clinics were canceled due to inclement weather, mobile unit breakdown, or provider COVID-19 infection. DISCUSSION: Maternal care providers must provide equitable care to patients, with particular attention to those who face substantial challenges accessing obstetric services. The BSFA program offers one promising solution to help women overcome barriers to accessing care.

Developing a multimodal maternal infant perinatal outpatient delivery system: the MOMI PODS program.

Progress in maternal child health has been hampered by poor rates of outpatient follow up for postpartum individuals. Primary care after delivery can effectively detect and treat several pregnancy-related complications and comorbidities, but postpartum linkage to primary care remains low. In this manuscript, we share the experience of implementing a novel mother-infant dyad program, the Multimodal Maternal Infant Perinatal Outpatient Delivery System (MOMI PODS), to improve primary care linkage and community resource access postpartum via integration into pediatric care structures. With a focus on providing care for people who are publicly insured, we designed a program to mitigate maternal morbidity risk factors in postpartum individuals with chronic disease or pregnancy complications. We discuss the systematic process of designing, executing, and evaluating a collaborative clinical program with involvement of internal medicine/pediatric, family medicine, and obstetric clinicians via establishing stakeholders, identifying best practices, drawing from the evidence base, designing training and promotional materials, training partners and providers, and evaluating clinic enrollment. We share the challenges encountered such as in achieving sufficient provider capacity, consistent provision of care, scheduling, and data tracking, as well as mitigation strategies to overcome these barriers. Overall, MOMI PODS is an innovative approach that integrates outpatient postpartum care into traditional pediatric structures to increase access, showing significant promise to improve healthcare utilization and promote postpartum health.

Career development in pragmatic clinical trials to improve care for people living with dementia.

The growing number of people living with dementia (PLWD) requires a coordinated clinical response to deliver pragmatic, evidence-based interventions in frontline care settings. However, infrastructure to support such a response is lacking. Moreover, there are too few researchers conducting rigorous embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) to make the vision of high quality, widely accessible dementia care a reality. National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer's disease and Related Dementias Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory seeks to improve the pipeline of early career researchers qualified to lead ePCTs by funding career development awards. Even with support from the Collaboratory, awardees face practical and methodological challenges to success, recently exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We first describe the training opportunities and support network for the IMPACT CDA recipients. This report then describes the unique career development challenges faced by early-career researchers involved in ePCTs for dementia care. Topics addressed include challenges in establishing a laboratory, academic promotion, mentoring and professional development, and work-life balance. Concrete suggestions to address these challenges are offered for early-career investigators, their mentors, and their supporting institutions. While some of these challenges are faced by researchers in other fields, this report seeks to provide a roadmap for expanding the work of the IMPACT Collaboratory and initiating future efforts to recruit, train, and retain talented early-career researchers involved in ePCTs for dementia care.

Barriers and Facilitators to the Adoption of Evidence-Based Interventions for Adults Within Occupational and Physical Therapy Practice Settings: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: Synthesize data regarding barriers and facilitators of adoption (ie, adoption determinants) of evidence-based occupational (OT) and physical therapy (PT) interventions within real-world practice. Whether evidence varied across disciplines, settings, and use of theoretical frameworks was also examined. DATA SOURCES: Literature published from database inception to December 9, 2022, in OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, OVID PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. STUDY SELECTION: Original research including: (1) stakeholder insight into adoption determinants; (2) discrete evidence-based interventions delivered/supervised by an OT and/or PT; (3) intervention recipients aged 18 or older; and (4) data regarding adoption determinants. Two reviewers independently screened and evaluated studies for inclusion, with a third resolving discrepancies. Of the 3036 articles identified, 45 articles were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted by a primary reviewer, independently evaluated by a second reviewer, and conflicts were resolved via group consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS: A descriptive synthesis approach was used to categorize adoption determinants according to constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. 87% of studies were published after 2014. Many studies: described PT interventions (82%); were within the outpatient setting (44%); had data gathered after implementing the intervention (71%); and did not report use of a theoretical framework to inform data collection (62%). Lack of available resources (64%) and knowledge/beliefs about the intervention (53%) were the most common barrier and facilitator, respectively. Variability in adoption determinants was observed according to discipline, setting, and use of a theoretical framework. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a recent surge of scientific investment in understanding adoption determinants for evidence-based OT and PT interventions. Such knowledge can inform efforts aimed at improving OT and PT quality, thereby enhancing patient outcomes. However, our review highlighted gaps with significant implications for the delivery of evidence-based OT and PT within real-world practice settings.

Strategies for implementing the interRAI home care frailty scale with home-delivered meal clients.

Introduction: Frailty is a complex condition that is highly associated with health decline and the loss of independence. Home-delivered meal programs are designed to provide older adults with health and nutritional support that can attenuate the risk of frailty. However, home-delivered meal agencies do not routinely assess frailty using standardized instruments, leading to uncertainty over the longitudinal impact of home-delivered meals on frailty levels. Considering this knowledge gap, this study aimed to facilitate home-delivered meal staff's implementation of a standardized frailty instrument with meal clients as part of routine programming. This article (a) describes the use of Implementation Mapping principles to develop strategies supporting frailty instrument implementation in one home-delivered meal agency and (b) examines the degree to which a combination of strategies influenced the feasibility of frailty instrument use by home-delivered meal staff at multiple time points. Methods and materials: This retrospective observational study evaluated staff's implementation of the interRAI Home Care Frailty Scale (HCFS) with newly enrolled home-delivered meal clients at baseline-, 3-months, and 6-months. The process of implementing the HCFS was supported by five implementation strategies that were developed based on tenets of Implementation Mapping. Rates of implementation and reasons clients were lost to 3- and 6-month follow-up were evaluated using univariate analyses. Client-level data were also examined to identify demographic factors associated with attrition at both follow-up time points. Results: Staff implemented the HCFS with 94.8% (n = 561) of eligible home-delivered meal clients at baseline. Of those clients with baseline HCFS data, staff implemented the follow-up HCFS with 43% of clients (n = 241) at 3-months and 18.0% of clients (n = 101) at 6-months. Insufficient client tracking and documentation procedures complicated staff's ability to complete the HCFS at follow-up time points. Discussion: While the HCFS assesses important frailty domains that are relevant to home-delivered meal clients, its longitudinal implementation was complicated by several agency- and client-level factors that limited the extent to which the HCFS could be feasibly implemented over multiple time points. Future empirical studies are needed to design and test theoretically derived implementation strategies to support frailty instrument use in the home- and community-based service setting.

Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System: Identifying Barriers, Facilitators, and Strategies for Implementation in Research, Education, and Clinical Care.

OBJECTIVE: To explore rehabilitation professionals' experiences and perspectives of barriers and facilitators to implementing the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) in research, education, and clinical care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with free text and binary responses was completed by rehabilitation professionals. Survey data were analyzed with a deductive approach of directed content analysis using 2 implementation science frameworks: Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC). SETTING: Rehabilitation professionals across research, educational, and clinical settings. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and eleven rehabilitation professionals-including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physicians, psychologists, researchers, and clinic directors-who explored possible uses or applications of the RTSS for clinical care, education, or research (N=111). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of reported CFIR barriers and facilitators, as well as keywords related to CFIR and ERIC constructs. RESULTS: The barriers and facilitating strategies differed according to the end-users' intended use, that is, research, education, or clinical. Overall, the 4 most frequently encountered CFIR barriers were the RTSS's complexity, a lack of available RTSS resources, reduced access to knowledge and information about the RTSS, and limited knowledge and beliefs about the RTSS. The ERIC-CFIR matching tool identified 7 ERIC strategies to address these barriers, which include conducting educational meetings, developing and distributing educational materials, accessing new funding, capturing and sharing local knowledge, identifying and preparing champions, and promoting adaptability. CONCLUSIONS: When attempting to use the RTSS, rehabilitation professionals commonly encountered barriers to understanding and skillfully using the framework. Theory-driven implementation strategies have been identified that have potential for addressing the RTSS's complexity and lack of educational and skill-building resources. Future work can develop the identified implementation strategies and evaluate their effects on RTSS implementation.

Conducting Implementation Research in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Case Example and Considerations for Study Design.

As neurorehabilitation research continues to grow, the field must ensure its scientific discoveries are implemented into routine clinical care. Without targeted efforts to increase the implementation of evidence into practice, patients may never see the benefits of interventions, assessments, and technologies developed in the confines of empirical studies. This article serves as a response to Lynch et al's 2018 Point of View piece in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair that underscored the urgent need for implementation studies to expedite the application of neurorehabilitation evidence in practice. To address this need, we provide the following 4 considerations investigators should contemplate when designing their own studies at the intersection of implementation and neurorehabilitation research: (a) consideration of guiding theories, models, and frameworks, (b) consideration of implementation strategies, (c) considerations of target outcomes, and (d) consideration of hybrid effectiveness-implementation designs. To conclude, we also provide a study exemplar to depict how these considerations can be integrated into the neurorehabilitation research field to narrow the evidence-to-practice gap.

Leveraging academic initiatives to advance implementation practice: a scoping review of capacity building interventions.

BACKGROUND: Academic institutions building capacity for implementation scholarship are also well positioned to build capacity in real world health and human service settings. How practitioners and policy makers are included and trained in implementation capacity-building initiatives, and their impact on building implementation practice capacity is unclear. This scoping review identified and examined features of interventions that build implementation practice capacity across researchers and practitioners or practitioners-in-training. METHODS: Five bibliographic databases were searched. Eligible studies (a) described an implementation capacity building intervention with a connection to an academic institution, (b) targeted researchers and practitioners (including practitioners-in-training, students, or educators), and (c) reported intervention or participant outcomes. Articles that only described capacity building interventions without reporting outcomes were excluded. Consistent with Arksey and O'Malley's framework, key study characteristics were extracted (target participants, core components, and outcomes) and analyzed using open coding and numerical analysis. RESULTS: Of 1349 studies identified, 64 met eligibility for full-text review, and 14 were included in the final analysis. Half of the studies described implementation capacity building interventions that targeted health or behavioral health researchers, practitioners, and practitioners-in-training together, and half targeted practitioners or practitioners-in-training only. The most common components included structured didactic activities offered in person or online, mentorship and expert consultation to support implementation, and practical application activities (e.g., field placements, case studies). Knowledge sharing activities and technical assistance were less common. All studies reported favorable outcomes related to knowledge attainment, increased ability to implement evidence, productivity, and satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Building implementation capacity among practitioners is critical for integrating insights from implementation science into the field and preventing the "secondary" implementation research-to-practice gap. This scoping review identified several promising implementation practice capacity building interventions that tend to build practitioner capacity via expert led activities which may be relevant for academic institutions seeking to build implementation practice capacity. To avoid widening the implementation research-to-practice gap, implementation capacity building interventions are needed that target policy makers, expand beyond multiple practice settings, and leverage university/community partnerships or on-site academic medical centers. Future studies will also be needed to test the impact on service quality and public health outcomes.

Development and Refinement of the American Occupational Therapy Association's Knowledge Translation Toolkit.

IMPORTANCE: Occupational therapy practitioners are expected to translate promising discoveries from empirical research into routine practice with their clients. However, complex barriers can influence practitioners' knowledge translation (KT) efforts, leading the American Occupational Therapy Association's Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) group to develop the KT Toolkit tailored to the perceived needs of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. OBJECTIVE: To identify common barriers to implementing EBPs and potential strategies to support EBP uptake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: Occupational therapy practitioners. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Data underwent descriptive and directed content analysis, the latter of which was guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. RESULTS: Occupational therapy survey respondents (N = 818) identified common EBP implementation barriers (e.g., lack of time and resources, difficulty understanding research findings). Initial KT Toolkit content was developed to address these barriers and included resources for searching for, analyzing, and applying evidence in practice. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Survey findings have informed the development of the KT Toolkit, which includes resources designed to support occupational therapy practitioners' EBP implementation efforts. This KT Toolkit is available at AOTA.org and will be continuously revised and updated on an ongoing basis. What This Article Adds: Several barriers limit the extent to which occupational therapy practitioners can implement evidence with their client populations. The KT Toolkit is directly informed by practitioner input and provides resources to support practitioners in their efforts to translate knowledge into real-world practice.

Implementing a Community-Based Initiative to Improve Nutritional Intake among Home-Delivered Meal Recipients.

Home-delivered meal (HDM) recipients are a highly vulnerable group of older adults at risk for malnutrition and subsequent health decline. To help HDM recipients increase their nutritional intake, HDM agencies may provide expanded meal options that allow older adults to have greater autonomy over their meal selection; however, the extent to which recipients are able to select nutritious meals that are responsive to their health complexities is unknown. This study examined the nutritional content of meals selected by HDM recipients enrolled in an expanded menu plan through a large HDM agency. Data were drawn from a retrospective chart review of 130 HDM recipients who had the option of selecting their own HDM meals and frequency of meal delivery. Findings indicate that older adults who selected their own meals chose meals that were significantly lower in protein, potassium, fat, and calories. The lack of these nutrients suggests that older adults enrolled in expanded menu plans should be referred to registered dietitian nutritionists who can provide skilled guidance in meal selection. To address this need, we also describe and provide preliminary data representing a referral program designed to connect HDM recipients to dietetic services with the goal of optimizing older adult nutrition and health-related outcomes.

Implementing Nutrition Education Programs in Congregate Dining Service Settings: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nutrition education programs implemented in congregate dining service (CDS) settings have the potential to improve healthy eating behaviors among older adult populations. However, little is understood about the types of nutrition education programs that are implemented at CDS sites and the factors that impede or promote implementation efforts. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the characteristics of CDS nutrition education programs, barriers and supports to program implementation, and opportunities to enhance implementation of programming. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We adopted a scoping review methodology to assess the relevant literature published between January 2000 and 2020 by accessing CINAHL, SocINDEX, MEDLINE, AgeLine, and Academic Search Complete. RESULTS: We identified 18 studies that met our inclusion criteria. The majority of nutrition education programs were led by trained facilitators, included the use of interactive activities, and also incorporated written or video materials. Programs that were adapted to the needs of older participants were perceived as supports to implementation whereas participants' needs and resources (e.g., lack of resources and lower health literacy) were occasionally found to limit the effective implementation of programming. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: As the older adult population continues to access CDS sites to address their health and nutritional needs, purposeful efforts are needed to examine the specific approaches that can support nutrition education program implementation. Future opportunities lie in assessing strategies that are effective for mitigating barriers to implementing nutrition education programming in the CDS setting.

Implementing Intergenerational Best Practices in Community-Based Settings: A Preliminary Study.

Evidence-based intergenerational (IG) programs bring youth and older adults together in shared activities and promote socioemotional health across age-groups. The core components of these IG programs include 14 IG "best practices" that should be implemented during IG program sessions to optimize program effectiveness for both youth and older adult participants. Despite the proliferation of IG programs across the United States, it is unclear the extent to which these IG best practices have been implemented in the community. This preliminary study assesses the implementation of IG best practices at two community-based sites by program leaders who participated in a multifaceted professional education intervention for IG best practice use. Implementation of best practices was measured through the Best Practices Checklist completed by program leaders and trained coders as well as through narrative written comments. Program leaders indicated that they were able to consistently implement six out of the 14 IG best practices in 46 IG sessions, whereas the best practice named "Adaptations to equipment were made" was least likely to be implemented. Analysis of narrative comments indicated that (a) the group arrangement of participants and (b) program leaders' familiarity with activities also influenced implementation. While many IG best practices can be implemented in the community, some best practices can be implemented with greater ease and consistency. Training resources can support IG best practice implementation; however, our multifaceted professional education intervention may benefit from the addition of case examples or vignettes to depict potential strategies for optimizing evidence-based IG practices.

Implementation strategies and outcomes for occupational therapy in adult stroke rehabilitation: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Stroke survivors often encounter occupational therapy practitioners in rehabilitation practice settings. Occupational therapy researchers have recently begun to examine the implementation strategies that promote the use of evidence-based occupational therapy practices in stroke rehabilitation; however, the heterogeneity in how occupational therapy research is reported has led to confusion about the types of implementation strategies used in occupational therapy and their association with implementation outcomes. This review presents these strategies and corresponding outcomes using uniform language and identifies the extent to which strategy selection has been guided by theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs). METHODS: A scoping review protocol was developed to assess the breadth and depth of occupational therapy literature examining implementation strategies, outcomes, and TMFs in the stroke rehabilitation field. Five electronic databases and two peer-reviewed implementation science journals were searched to identify studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers applied the inclusion parameters and consulted with a third reviewer to achieve consensus. The 73-item Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) implementation strategy taxonomy guided the synthesis of implementation strategies. The Implementation Outcomes Framework guided the analysis of measured outcomes. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 1219 studies, and 26 were included in the final review. A total of 48 out of 73 discrete implementation strategies were described in the included studies. The most used implementation strategies were "distribute educational materials" (n = 11), "assess for readiness and identify barriers and facilitators" (n = 11), and "conduct educational outreach visits" (n = 10). "Adoption" was the most frequently measured implementation outcome, while "cost" was not measured in any included studies. Eleven studies reported findings supporting the effectiveness of their implementation strategy or strategies; eleven reported inconclusive findings, and four found that their strategies did not lead to improved implementation outcomes. In twelve studies, at least partially beneficial outcomes were reported, corresponding with researchers using TMFs to guide implementation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review synthesized implementation strategies and outcomes that have been examined in occupational therapy and stroke rehabilitation. With the growth of the stroke survivor population, the occupational therapy profession must identify effective strategies that promote the use of evidence-based practices in routine stroke care and describe those strategies, as well as associated outcomes, using uniform nomenclature. Doing so could advance the occupational therapy field's ability to draw conclusions about effective implementation strategies across diverse practice settings.

Translating Knowledge to Optimize Value-Based Occupational Therapy: Strategies for Educators, Practitioners, and Researchers.

With the continued evolution of health care reform and payment models, it is imperative that the occupational therapy profession consistently and clearly articulate its distinct value. As payment models shift from paying for the volume of services provided to paying for the value of services, the field of occupational therapy must be sure to implement high-quality care by translating evidence into practice and facilitating improvements in client outcomes. Yet the process of translating evidence-based interventions and programs to real-world settings can be quite complex, and successful implementation often requires active collaboration across occupational therapy stakeholders. In this Health Policy Perspectives article, we provide occupational therapy educators, practitioners, and researchers with key recommendations for how the profession can translate evidence into practice, ultimately leading to the improvement of client outcomes and the provision of value-based care.