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High implementation intervention fidelity seen for practitioner program to manage back pain
A study investigating the fidelity of the IMPLEMENT intervention, a program designed to improve the management of low back pain by general practitioners, revealed participants administered the intervention with high levels of adherence to the planned protocol.
Researchers assessed adherence to observed facilitator planned behavior change techniques (BCTs) and compared them to participants’ self-reported adherence to the BCTs. Two-session workshops conducted by trained facilitators were held, recorded and transcribed verbatim for the researchers to note adherence to the planned intervention.
According to the study, investigators randomized 53 general practitioners to the control group. The intervention group included 59 general practitioners, of which 36 completed both sessions of the IMPLEMENT workshop. Participants’ self-reported adherence was calculated by using a checklist at the end of each workshop and was compared with the gold standard of observed adherence.
The overall observed adherence to BCTs was 79%, and investigators found no statistically significant difference in adherence to BCTs between the facilitators. Researchers noted sensitivity to self-reported adherence was 95% and specificity was 30%.
According to the study data, the IMPLEMENT intervention demonstrated improvement in outcomes of X-ray referral and giving advice to patients to stay active, which were targeted behaviors in the study. The researchers concluded the IMPLEMENT intervention demonstrated that it is possible to undertake a fidelity assessment by coding it according to specific BCTs. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.