Tracking implementation strategies in real‐world settings: VA Office of Rural Health enterprise‐wide initiative portfolio

Abstract Objective To use a practical approach to examining the use of Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) strategies by Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE‐AIM) dimensions for rural health innovations using annual reports on a diverse array of initiatives. Data Sources and Study Setting The Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health (ORH) funds initiatives designed to support the implementation and spread of innovations and evidence‐based programs and practices to improve the health of rural Veterans. This study draws on the annual evaluation reports submitted for fiscal years 2020–2022 from 30 of these enterprise‐wide initiatives (EWIs). Study Design Content analysis was guided by the RE‐AIM framework conducted by the Center for the Evaluation of Enterprise‐Wide Initiatives (CEEWI), a Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI)‐ORH partnered evaluation initiative. Data Collection and Extraction Methods CEEWI analysts conducted a content analysis of EWI annual evaluation reports submitted to ORH. Analysis included cataloguing reported implementation strategies by Reach, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE‐AIM) dimensions (i.e., identifying strategies that were used to support each dimension) and labeling strategies using ERIC taxonomy. Descriptive statistics were conducted to summarize data. Principal Findings A total of 875 implementation strategies were catalogued in 73 reports. Across these strategies, 66 unique ERIC strategies were reported. EWIs applied an average of 12 implementation strategies (range 3–22). The top three ERIC clusters across all 3 years were Develop stakeholder relationships (21%), Use evaluative/iterative strategies (20%), and Train/educate stakeholders (19%). Most strategies were reported within the Implementation dimension. Strategy use among EWIs meeting the rurality benchmark were also compared. Conclusions Combining the dimensions from the RE‐AIM framework and the ERIC strategies allows for understanding the use of implementation strategies across each RE‐AIM dimension. This analysis will support ORH efforts to spread and sustain rural health innovations and evidence‐based programs and practices through targeted implementation strategies.