Evaluation of an implementation facilitation strategy for settings that experience significant implementation barriers.

Panel overview Though several implementation and quality improvement strategies have been shown to be effective in implementing programs and practices in routine clinical settings [1,2], little work has been done in developing and testing implementation strategies in settings that experience significant implementation barriers. This VA funded study evaluated a highly partnered implementation facilitation (IF) strategy [3] within the context of a Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) mandate for implementation of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) [4]. The IF strategy consisted of a national expert external facilitator (EF) and two internal regional facilitators (IRFs) who partnered with regional, medical center, and clinic leadership and staff in two VA regional networks to implement PC-MHI. Facilitators helped partners design/adapt their PC-MHI programs, develop site-specific implementation plans, and identify/address implementation barriers. They also identified and engaged key stakeholders at all organizational levels; conducted academic detailing, marketing, staff training, patient education, formative evaluation, and audit and feedback; assisted with technical issues; and established learning collaboratives. The EF had expertise in the evidence-base for PC-MHI and implementation activities. The IRF had protected time to support implementation activities, was embedded within the clinical organization at the regional level, and was familiar with local and regional organizational structures, procedures, culture, and clinical processes. We used a quasi-experimental, Hybrid Type III design [5] and mixed methods to test effectiveness of the IF strategy and document IF activities. National VA MH leadership has adopted this IF strategy for sites facing challenges to adopting evidencebased practices [4,6,7]. This panel presents findings from the project’s three components: A quantitative study of facilitation outcomes, a qualitative study of the facilitation process and its outcomes, and a qualitative study of facilitation skill transfer.