Process Evaluation of a Participatory, Multimodal Intervention to Improve Evidence-Based Care in Long-Term Care Settings.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based improvements in long-term care (LTC) are challenging due to human resource constraints. AIMS: To evaluate implementation of a multimodal, participatory intervention aimed at improving evidence-based care. METHODS: Using a qualitative descriptive design, we conducted and inductively analyzed individual interviews with staff at midpoint and end-point to identify action plan implementation processes and challenges. The 9-month intervention engaged professional and unregulated staff in an on-site workshop and provided support for their development and implementation of site-specific action plans. RESULTS: Ten of 12 enrolled sites participated for the full study period. Interviews were conducted with 44 and 69 participants at midpoint and end-point, respectively. Seven of 10 sites focused their action plan on team functioning and communication. Main achievements described at end-point were improved team communication, better staff engagement, and improved teamwork. Internal and external supports for action plan implementation were described as critical for success. DISCUSSION: Three factors influenced change: vertically and horizontally linked teams, external facilitator support for action plan implementation, and coaching by Best Practice Coordinators that emphasized organizational change and normalization of evidence-based practice. IMPLICATIONS: Team functioning and communication are forerunners of clinical practice changes in LTC. An off-site model of facilitation is promising and may provide a more efficient means to reach a wider array of LTC settings. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Practice changes need engagement of all staff.

Mentoring as a Knowledge Translation Intervention for Implementing Nursing Practice Guidelines: A Qualitative Study.

An interpretive descriptive qualitative study was conducted to explore the characteristics and outcomes of mentoring used for implementing nursing practice guidelines. We interviewed six mentees, eight mentors, and four program leaders who were involved in the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario fellowship program in Ontario, Canada. Inductive content analysis was used and study rigor was verified using triangulation of findings and member checking. Mentors were described as accessible, dedicated, and having expertise; mentees were described as enthusiastic, self-directed, and having mixed levels of expertise. The mentoring process included building relationships, developing learning plans, and using teaching and learning activities guided by learning plans to support development of mentees. Mentoring was described as positively impacting mentoring relationships, mentees, mentors, and organizations. A central feature of this fellowship program was the learning plan used to identify mentees' needs, guide mentoring activities, and monitor measureable outcomes.

A Sustainability Oriented and Mentored Approach to Implementing a Fall Prevention Guideline in Acute Care Over 2 Years.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a mentored guideline implementation (Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Prevention of Falls and Falls Injuries in the Older Adult Best Practice Guideline) focused on enhancing sustainability in reducing fall rates and number of serious falls and the experience of staff in three acute care hospitals. The National Health Service (NHS) Sustainability Model was used to guide the study. Interviews and focus groups were held with 82 point-of-care professional staff, support staff, volunteers, project leaders, clinical leaders, and senior leaders. Study results supported the importance of the factors in the NHS model for sustainability of the guideline in these practice settings. There were no statistically significant decreases in the overall fall rate and number of serious falls. The results supported strategies of participating hospitals to become senior friendly organizations and provided opportunities to enhance staff collaboration with patients and families.

Sustaining guideline implementation: A multisite perspective on activities, challenges and supports.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine activities conducted, challenges encountered and supports used when sustaining nursing practice guideline implementation in multiple healthcare organisations over 3 years. BACKGROUND: Numerous models and frameworks exist to guide the implementation of guidelines, yet very few focus on sustaining improved practice changes. It is not known if one intervention or multiple interventions are required, nor the long-term activities, challenges and supports for sustaining improved practices. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study. METHODS: We conducted focus group interviews with steering committee members and individual interviews with leaders and direct care providers at the end of a 3-year guideline implementation study. The National Health Service Sustainability Model was used to guide data collection and analysis. RESULTS: The eight sites included three teaching hospitals, a community hospital, a long-term care facility, two community health agencies and a community health centre. Individual interviews were conducted with 36 leaders and 26 direct care providers. Focus group interviews were conducted with steering committee members (n = 70) at each site. Guideline implementation activities (n = 45) included developing new outcome monitoring systems, conducting chart audits, communicating progress to internal stakeholders, appointing interprofessional staff to steering committees, developing educational sessions and resources for staff and patients, revising policies and procedures, and developing partnerships with external organisations. Supports included lessons learned from previous and concurrent change initiatives, and commitment, involvement and positive attitudes of staff and leaders. CONCLUSION: Activities identified by the participants addressed all 10 factors in the Sustainability Model in the three areas of process, staff and organisation. The challenges and supports encountered provide insights into the process of guideline implementation and sustainability. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A multilevel action plan for staff, leaders and the organisation is recommended when introducing and sustaining practice changes.

Activities and Attributes of Nurse Practitioner Leaders: Lessons from a Primary Care System Change.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are being encouraged to practice to the full extent of their skills, and they have a critical role to play in leading health system reform. The evidence in support of NP-led initiatives is growing; however, in spite of the positive outcomes associated with these initiatives, considerable opposition to and debate about the potential for NPs to lead health system change and interprofessional teams continues. To date, we know very little about NP leadership activities, particularly those activities that contribute to primary care system change, and there are very few examples of this type of leadership. The qualitative descriptive study here was part of a larger case study that examined stakeholder participation in a system change led by NPs. The change involved the introduction of a new NP-led model of team-based primary care delivery in Ontario, Canada. Data from participant interviews and public documents were analyzed to describe the activities and attributes (perseverance, risk-taking and effective communication) of two NP leaders who were the drivers of this change. Knowledge of these activities and attributes has the potential to inform NP leadership roles in health system policy planning and implementation. However, to be able to provide effective leadership in system change, NPs need access to educational content about public policy and opportunities to develop and practice the skills required to work with multiple stakeholders, including those who oppose change.

Stakeholder Participation in System Change: A New Conceptual Model.

BACKGROUND: A recent change in Canada's primary care system led to the introduction of Nurse Practitioner-Led clinics. The literature suggests that stakeholders can influence system change initiatives. However, very little is known about healthcare stakeholder motivations, particularly stakeholders who are seen as resistors to change. AIM: To examine stakeholder participation in the system change process that led to the introduction of the first Nurse Practitioner-Led clinic in Ontario. METHODS: This single case study included two site visits, semistructured individual tape-recorded interviews, and the examination of relevant public documents. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Sixteen individuals from different healthcare sectors and professions participated in the interviews and 20 documents were reviewed. Six key themes emerged from the data. Linking Evidence to Action The findings from the study present a new perspective on stakeholder participation that includes both those who supported the proposed change and those who advocated for a different change. The findings identify stakeholder activities used to shape, share, and protect their visions for system change. The conceptual model presented in this study adds to the understanding of challenges and complexities involved in healthcare system change. Understanding why and how stakeholders participate in change can help healthcare leaders in planning activities to enhance stakeholder involvement in healthcare system change.

Optimal Pain Assessment in Pediatric Rehabilitation: Implementation of a Nursing Guideline.

In Ontario, Canada, the Registered Nurses' Association promotes a Best Practice Spotlight Organization initiative to enhance evidence-based practice. Qualifying organizations are required to implement strategies, evaluate outcomes, and sustain practices aligned with nursing clinical practice guidelines. This study reports on the development and evaluation of a multifaceted implementation strategy to support adoption of a nursing clinical practice guideline on the assessment and management of acute pain in a pediatric rehabilitation and complex continuing care hospital. Multiple approaches were employed to influence behavior, attitudes, and awareness around optimal pain practice (e.g., instructional resources, electronic reminders, audits, and feedback). Four measures were introduced to assess pain in communicating and noncommunicating children as part of a campaign to treat pain as the fifth vital sign. A prospective repeated measures design examined survey and audit data to assess practice aligned with the guideline. The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (KNAS) was adapted to ensure relevance to the local practice setting and was assessed before and after nurses' participation in three education modules. Audit data included client demographics and pain scores assessed annually over a 3-year window. A final sample of 69 nurses (78% response rate) provided pre-/post-survey data. A total of 108 pediatric surgical clients (younger than 19 years) contributed audit data across the three collection cycles. Significant improvements in nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to optimal pain care for children with disabilities were noted following adoption of the pain clinical practice guideline. Targeted guideline implementation strategies are central to supporting optimal pain practice.

Development and evaluation of a workshop to support evidence-based practice change in long-term care.

To support evidence-based practice changes in long-term care, we used a practice development approach with interactive workshops to engage teams from 10 organizations in participatory change. Data from postworkshop surveys and subsequent semistructured interviews indicated that participants felt empowered to identify a priority challenge and initiate change. Notably, the workshop intervention enhanced collaboration between professional and unregulated staff, fostered the development of shared vision, and provided the impetus to tackle workplace barriers to change.

Spreading and sustaining best practices for home care of older adults: a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Improving health care quality requires effective and timely spread of innovations that support evidence-based practices. However, there is limited rigorous research on the process of spread, factors influencing spread, and models of spread. It is particularly important to study spread within the home care sector given the aging of the population, expansion of home care services internationally, the high proportion of older adult users of home care services, and the vulnerability of this group who are frail and live with multiple chronic conditions. The purpose of this study was to understand how best practices related to older adults are spread within home care organizations. METHODS: Four home care organizations in Ontario, Canada that had implemented best practices related to older adults (falls prevention, pain management, management of venous leg ulcers) participated. Using a qualitative grounded theory design, interviews were conducted with frontline providers, managers, and directors at baseline (n = 44) and 1 year later (n = 40). Open, axial, and selective coding and constant comparison analysis were used. RESULTS: A model of the process of spread of best practices within home care organizations was developed. The phases of spread included (1) committing to change, (2) implementing on a small scale, (3) adapting locally, (4) spreading internally to multiple users and sites, and (5) disseminating externally. Factors that facilitated progression through these phases were (1) leading with passion and commitment, (2) sustaining strategies, and (3) seeing the benefits. Project leads, champions, managers, and steering committees played vital roles in leading the spread process. Strategies such as educating/coaching and evaluating and feedback were key to sustaining the change. Spread occurred within the home care context of high staff and manager turnover and time and resource constraints. CONCLUSIONS: Spread of best practices is optimized through the application of the phases of spread, allocation of resources to support spread, and implementing strategies for ongoing sustainability that address potential barriers. Further research will help to understand how best practices are spread externally to other organizations.

Measuring the effectiveness of mentoring as a knowledge translation intervention for implementing empirical evidence: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Mentoring as a knowledge translation (KT) intervention uses social influence among healthcare professionals to increase use of evidence in clinical practice. AIM: To determine the effectiveness of mentoring as a KT intervention designed to increase healthcare professionals' use of evidence in clinical practice. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, CINAHL), grey literature, and hand searching. Eligible studies evaluated mentoring of healthcare professionals responsible for patient care to enhance the uptake of evidence into practice. Mentoring is defined as (a) a mentor more experienced than mentee; (b) individualized support based on mentee's needs; and (c) involved in an interpersonal relationship as indicated by mutual benefit, engagement, and commitment. Two reviewers independently screened citations for eligibility, extracted data, and appraised quality of studies. Data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: Of 10,669 citations from 1988 to 2012, 10 studies were eligible. Mentoring as a KT intervention was evaluated in Canada, USA, and Australia. Exposure to mentoring compared to no mentoring improved some behavioral outcomes (one study). Compared to controls or other multifaceted interventions, multifaceted interventions with mentoring improved practitioners' knowledge (four of five studies), beliefs (four of six studies), and impact on organizational outcomes (three of four studies). There were mixed findings for changes in professionals' behaviors and impact on practitioners' and patients' outcomes: some outcomes improved, while others showed no difference. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Only one study evaluated the effectiveness of mentoring alone as a KT intervention and showed improvement in some behavioral outcomes. The other nine studies that evaluated the effectiveness of mentoring as part of a multifaceted intervention showed mixed findings, making it difficult to determine the added effect of mentoring. Further research is needed to identify effective mentoring as a KT intervention.

Using the NHS sustainability framework to understand the activities and resource implications of Canadian nursing guideline early adopters.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the activities and resource implications for the initial cohort of healthcare organisations involved in the introduction of multiple nursing guidelines. BACKGROUND: The Best Practice Spotlight Organization initiative was launched in 2003 as part of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's Best Practice Guidelines programme. While previous research has evaluated improvements in patient care and outcomes, there has been limited research from an organisational perspective on the activities conducted to introduce nursing guidelines. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of retrospective narrative data. METHODS: We conducted a content analysis of the 2004-2006 annual reports from the seven participating sites. We used both deductive and inductive approaches to categorise the guideline implementation activities and their resource implications. RESULTS: All sites reported implementing multiple guidelines (four to nine guidelines per site) and used a wide range of implementation activities that clearly addressed nine of the 10 NHS Sustainability dimensions. The dimension not reported was benefits beyond helping patients. All sites established steering committees that involved staff and senior leaders, reviewed selected guidelines and recommendations, reviewed existing policies and procedures and developed new policies and procedures, recruited champions or peer mentors, applied for additional external funding to support activities, developed relationships with external clinical partners, included guideline implementation in orientation, developed intra-agency web-based and print communications for the project, and evaluated practice changes. For each of these activities, the sites reported expenditures and resource usage. CONCLUSIONS: The organisational processes used for the introduction of new nursing guidelines in Canada are remarkably consistent with factors identified by leaders and change agents in the UK who developed the NHS Sustainability Model. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A multidimensional framework for sustainability is useful for planning successful guideline implementation across an organisation. Examples of specific activities and resource implications for organisational change are provided.

Perspectives of significant others in dialysis modality decision-making: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the experience of the dialysis modality decision-making process from the perspective of the significant other. METHODS: A qualitative interpretive description study was conducted using the Interprofessional Shared Decision Making Model (Légaré et al., 2011). Data collection included one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, the Decisional Regret Scale, and the SURE tool. RESULTS: Ten significant others were interviewed. They included wives, husbands, and daughters of dialysis patients. Their roles involved providing a positive outlook, "being with", advocating, caregiving, learning together, sharing opinions, and communicating values, preferences and treatment feasibility. Broader factors influencing significant others included choosing life, unanticipated life change, and personal health problems. Implementation of the chosen modality resulted in unanticipated events, relationship changes and challenges to travelling. CONCLUSION: Significant others play supportive roles for dialysis patients and are involved in the decision-making process associated with treatment decisions. Significant others may have concurrent emotional, informational, and physical needs that affect their role in making and/or implementing the decision.

Practice change in long-term care facilities in Ontario: views of managers and staff.

Little is known about how the use of data and feedback influences change in long-term care, and that was the focus of this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 126 frontline staff and managers from 19 randomly selected Ontario long-term care facilities. Content analysis revealed that staff members use data for problem identification and solution finding, justifying change, and monitoring change. Frontline providers primarily provided resident-based examples of data and feedback processes, whereas managers mainly described organization-based examples. Few participants discussed how information from mandated databases and related feedback processes could be used to inform change. Knowledge gained from this study will help organizations better understand the perspectives of different team members about data and feedback, thereby informing interventions that will enhance resident outcomes and quality service delivery in long-term care.

Implementation of clinical guidelines for adults with asthma and diabetes: a three-year follow-up evaluation of nursing care.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To report on a three-year follow-up evaluation in Canada of nursing care indicators following the implementation of the Adult Asthma Care Best Practice Guideline and the Reducing Foot Complications for People with Diabetes Best Practice Guideline and to describe the contextual changes in the clinical settings. BACKGROUND: The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario in Canada has developed and published more than 42 guidelines related to clinical nursing practice and healthy work environments. To date, evaluation has involved one-year studies of the impact of guideline implementation on the delivery of care in hospital and community settings, but little is known about whether changes in practice that were made during the initial implementation period have been sustained. DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up study. METHODS: Site observations and interviews were conducted with key informants at two hospitals. Indicators of nursing care changes identified six months post-implementation were compared with indicators found during a retrospective chart audit at the same sites three years later. Fisher exact tests were used to compare outcomes for the two time periods. RESULTS: Three out of 12 indicators related to asthma care remained consistently high (≥ 84% of audited charts) and four indicators declined significantly (p < 0.01). There were significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvements in nine out of 12 indicators related to diabetes foot care. Important contextual changes were made to better address the guideline recommendations for foot care in the out-patient program and the electronic documentation system. CONCLUSIONS: Sustainability of guideline implementation recommendations was enhanced with the use of an electronic documentation system. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Long-term follow-up of both clinical indicators and contextual factors are important to monitor to promote sustained implementation of guidelines.

Developing meaningful learning experiences in palliative care nursing education.

To help nurses develop effective clinical decision-making skills, it is essential that palliative care education includes opportunities for undergraduate and practicing nurses to develop cognitive skills in addressing real-life clinical problems. This article describes the learning experiences within an elective nursing course designed to strengthen the clinical decision-making skills of students in the context of palliative care and interprofessional practice. A description of the course context, major learning assignment and evaluation rubic, and reflections on the learning process in terms of clinical decision-making and interprofessional practice provides an example of how meaningful learning opportunities can be used to prepare nurses for the challenges they will face as collaborative team members in their palliative clinical practice.

Integrating patient decision support in an undergraduate nursing curriculum: an implementation project.

A 4-year curriculum project (2004-2008) to integrate patient decision support into an existing curriculum was guided by the Knowledge-to-Action process model. The purpose of this project was to integrate a patient decision support theoretical framework and associated evidence-based resources throughout a four-year baccalaureate nursing curriculum. Interventions designed to adapt knowledge to local context and overcome barriers to knowledge use included faculty workshop to increase awareness, instructional resources designed for courses and core content, curricular blueprint of key threads to be included within courses, shared resources on the school of nursing internal website, and development of decision support resources in French. Curricular change and sustained use of knowledge was evidenced by repeated use of guest lecturers, assignments, and problem-based scenarios in courses, and students' evaluations on the tutorial and assignments.

Development of an evaluation tool for a clinical practice guideline on nursing assessment and device selection for vascular access.

This study developed and tested a chart audit tool to assess the implementation of evidence-based recommendations for vascular access nursing assessment and device selection. Chart audits of 71 patients were conducted in a home healthcare agency and a community hospital prior to guideline implementation. Observations of initial infusion therapy and chart audit documentation of 31 patients were also compared. Results from observations indicated that nurses provided care consistent with the recommendations, but findings from chart audits indicated that assessment and decisionmaking were poorly documented. Studies that use only precomparison and postcomparison by chart audit may miss changes in nursing practice.

A remediation process for nursing students at risk for clinical failure.

The authors propose a remediation process for nursing students at risk for clinical failure. The process is embedded within the context of clinical evaluation and includes the use of a learning contract as an integral component. The strengths and limits of the process and suggestions for further development are included.

A new role for advanced practice nurses in Canada: bridging the gap in health services for rural older adults.

This article is a report on the evaluation of a new nursing initiative in rural western Canada-the gerontological advanced practice nurse (GAPN) project. Using a qualitative approach in the i initial evaluative phase, the authors determined how the GAPN evolved, functioning primarily in a clinical nurse specialist role, and identified the successes and challenges of the project. The initial findings indicated health benefits to rural older adults. The project's success was attributed to strong support from key players, and attempts to address perceived gaps in rural health service. Challenges in developing the GAPN role included limited planning time, and lack of a clear definition about the role and responsibilities of the GAPN. The introduction of a GAPN, especially in underserved rural communities, has the potential to provide essential health care services to older adults, and to make major contributions to changing gerontology practice.