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Table 3 Physical activity guideline dissemination and implementation strategy classifications (modified from Tomasone et al., 2020b)

From: Dissemination and implementation strategies for physical activity guidelines among adults with disability, chronic conditions, and pregnancy: a systematic scoping review

Classification

Definition

Actor Examples

Outcomes

Strategy Type (Definition)

Examples from the current review

Dissemination process strategies

Enacted by those working within delivery systems and pertain to processes or activities that dissemination teams perform to plan, select, and disseminate a guideline

Delivery systema

• Researchers

• Policymakers

• Guideline development organizations

Extent, quality and timeliness of the completion of activities related to specific dissemination process strategies

Formative research (the process of developing effective strategies and communication channels, and understanding the attributes of the target population to enhance guideline reach and uptake) [39]

n = 6 [40,41,42,43,44,45]

Dissemination strategies

Any action(s) that distributes the guideline to actors in the delivery system, support system, and synthesis and translation system’s awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and intention to adopt a guideline

Delivery systema

• Members of the general public

• Health professionals

Support systemb

• Researchers

• Policy makers

Synthesis and translation systemsc

• Guideline development organizations

• Funding organizations

Awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and intention to adopt a guideline

Distribution of guideline materials (scientific or public-facing documents disseminated electronically, audio-visually, or by hard-copy) [46]. Example: fact sheet (i.e., one or more pages including factual information required to perform or understand a target behaviour) [47]

n = 30 [8, 12, 48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75]

Mass media/communications campaign (widespread, intentional distribution of information to a population using pre-existing media venues, such as internet, television, or print media, which may be embedded within a broader marketing approach) [76]

n = 9 [50, 51, 77,78,79,80,81,82,83]

Education (teaching about the benefits of complying with a guideline from a credible and capable source) [84]

n = 10 [85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94]

Dissemination scale-up strategies

Enacted by support system actors with the goal of getting multiple settings to disseminate a guideline

Support systemb

• Researchers

• Policy makers

• Guideline development organizations

Motivation and capacity to disseminate, and actual dissemination of, a guideline across multiple settings

Dissemination toolkits (a set of resources that can be used individually or collectively to enhance communication and dissemination in more than one setting) [95]

n = 0

Implementation process strategies

Enacted by those working within delivery systems and pertain to processes or activities that implementation teams perform to plan, select, and integrate a guideline into practice

Delivery systema

• Researchers

• Policy makers

Extent, quality and timeliness of the completion of activities related to specific implementation process strategies

Engaging stakeholders (actively petitioning involvement from individuals or groups who have a vested interest in a research/policy project to enhance collaboration and decision-making) [96]

n = 5 [43, 52, 97,98,99]

Human resources (increasing the number, or qualifications, of staff to facilitate guideline implementation) [46]

n = 4 [42, 100,101,102]

Integration strategies

Delivered by actors within delivery systems and include any action(s) that influence the integration of a specific guideline into practice

Delivery systema

• Members of the general public

• Health professionals

• Researchers

• Not for profit organizations

Self-efficacy and intention to use the guideline, and self-efficacy, intention and behaviour in line with the guideline recommendations

Feedback (data reported to an individual on their current level of adherence to behavioural guideline benchmarks in aims of improving their compliance) [46]

n = 1 [103]

Alerts (providing audio-visual prompts to remind individuals to comply with, or to signal deviation from, a guideline benchmark) [46]

n = 1 [103]

Financial incentives (direct or indirect financial reward for complying with behaviour that meets guideline benchmarks) [46]

n = 1 [103]

Skills training (the provision of various techniques, including instructions on how to perform the behaviour, behavioural rehearsal, and demonstration of the behaviour, to enable an individual to meet behavioural guideline benchmarks) [104]

n = 5 [42, 98, 100,101,102]

Counselling (an approach that incorporates various strategies to assess an individual’s current behaviour, provide education, goal-setting, and resources, and monitor behavioural improvements) [105]

n = 7 [42, 98, 106,107,108,109,110]

Planning tools (instruments that can be used to guide actionable steps that help individuals meet guideline benchmarks) [46]

n = 16 [12, 42, 49, 54, 69, 75, 86, 87, 93, 103, 106, 111,112,113,114,115]

Capacity building strategies

Delivered by support systems and target individuals’ general capacity (motivation, self-efficacy) to execute implementation process strategies

Support systemb

• Researchers

• Policy makers

• Guideline development organizations

Self-efficacy and motivation to engage in implementation process strategies, and completion of implementation process strategies

Stakeholder training (one or more workshops/courses/seminars to increase stakeholders’ knowledge, ability, and operational capacity to deliver a given process strategy) [116]

n = 6 [97, 107, 117,118,119,120]

Scale-up strategies

Enacted by support system actors with the goal of getting multiple settings to implement a guideline. Scale up strategies target determinants at multiple levels (i.e., from end user to policy)

Support systemb

• Researchers

• Policy makers

• Guideline development organizations

Motivation and capacity to implement, and actual implementation of, a guideline across multiple settings

Implementation toolkits (a set of tools that can be used individually or collectively to enhance implementation in more than one setting) [121]

n = 7 [92, 122,123,124,125,126,127]

  1. aDelivery systems include the individuals, teams, and systems that adopt and integrate a guideline into practice
  2. bSupport systems include individuals, teams, and systems that build a delivery system's capacity to adopt and integrate a guideline into practice
  3. cSynthesis and translation systems include the organizations that identify, translate, and disseminate guidelines