Background: Evidence implementation is a field in which use of high-quality reliable research, implementation frameworks, and theory-informed interventions is known to improve uptake of evidence-based practices. However, clinical care is complex, and although practitioners have expert knowledge on their context, they may lack specific skills related to understanding and using evidence. The impact of equipping practitioners with reliable evidence, skills, knowledge, and resources to lead on local practice change through intensive education and facilitation programs targeted to their local context is of widespread interest to the synthesis and implementation communities.
Objectives: To increase understanding and use of reliable evidence by evaluating a targeted short-course program on evidence implementation, clinical leadership, knowledge brokering, and methods of impact evaluation supported with early facilitation on practitioner-led implementation.
Methods: Descriptive analysis was undertaken to review and present evidence from implementation projects published in Evidence Implementation. Using a piloted tool, data specific to clinician leadership, clinicians’ use of evidence, description of the use-cases for types of evidence, knowledge brokering, and facilitation characteristics were extracted.
Results: We found that clinical leadership reflected the cultural context. Clinicians who were unlikely to lead implementation previously were leading across a wide variety of use cases supported by brokering and facilitation. Skills and knowledge from intensive education and facilitation appeared to be retained between 6 and 9 months post-training programs, suggesting knowledge retention was linked to usability within the local clinical context.
Conclusions: Understanding and use of evidence in clinician-led implementation can be sustained for the duration of an implementation project or program of work when supported by short-course training in domains focused on the knowledge needs and professional practice interests of clinicians. The use of knowledge brokering and early facilitation equips clinicians to better understand how to use evidence in context. Patient, public, and/or healthcare consumer involvement: