How To Adapt Implementation Strategies for Diverse Populations
Whether you’re implementing a diabetes management program or developing a therapy initiative for a new community-based mental health project, implementation scientists have the potential to improve millions of lives.
However, creating an implementation strategy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. What works for one community may not be effective for another. With factors such as language barriers and socioeconomic disparities to consider, it’s essential to adjust your implementation strategies based on the specific population you’re working with.
That’s why we’ve crafted a step-by-step guide to help you adapt implementation strategies for diverse populations.
Step One: Assess the Target Population
The first step in adapting your implementation strategies is to fully understand your current intervention’s target population. To achieve this, you can use several methods, including:
- Conducting demographic and cultural assessments
These assessments can give you better insight into crucial variables, such as the population’s age, sex and cultural background.
- Identifying their unique needs and challenges
By analyzing the data in your assessments, you can also pinpoint specific needs within a specific population, such as health disparities or economic barriers.
Step Two: Build Cultural Competence
Once you have relevant data on your target population, you can better understand and interact with people from different cultures, a practice known as cultural competence. With improved cultural awareness of the community, you can develop training programs and professional development initiatives to build a culturally competent team that will effectively engage with the community and allow its members to feel supported.
Step Three: Engage With the Community
Collaborating with various members of your target population before, during and after the implementation can help generate community buy-in and increase the changes of your intervention being used. You can engage with community members in several ways, including:
- Speaking not only with the trial participants but also with community leaders and stakeholders.
- Offering training and workshops to all interested parties, empowering them to take ownership of the intervention.
- Creating partnerships with schools, businesses and healthcare providers to improve the impact and reach of the intervention.
Step Four: Develop an Implementation Plan
Next, create an implementation plan tailored to your specific population. Consider the following actions to ensure the plan meets the community’s needs:
- Customizing the intervention’s goals and objectives
Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals that address the unique needs of the community. For example, if your goal is to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies in one year, you can rephrase to the following smart goal: “Reduce the number of teenage pregnancies by 15% within one year by implementing comprehensive sex education programs and increasing access to contraception.”
- Designing culturally relevant methods
Ensure materials, such as brochures and videos, are relatable and resonate with the community’s identity.
- Incorporating language preferences
Provide information in the community’s spoken language to ensure materials are accessible and inclusive to all relevant parties. Additionally, when speaking to participants, try speaking in easy-to-understand sentences, avoiding technical jargon they may not be able to comprehend.
Step Five: Adapt Outreach Methods
Depending on factors such as your target population’s age, socioeconomic status and cultural background, you’ll want to utilize different communication methods to gain their trust, support and participation in the new intervention. There are several methods you can incorporate, depending on their preferences, such as:
- Creating and distributing printed materials that include important information, like brochures and posters.
- Using social media platforms to engage with the community, share success stories and provide updates on the intervention.
- Host community events, like health fairs and cultural festivals, to bring further attention to the intervention.
Step Six: Monitor and Evaluate
While certain core principles of monitoring and evaluation rarely change, you can tailor this process to better fit your target population’s needs. For instance, when collecting data, consider the community you’re working with. If you’re using surveys and interviewing participants, adapt the written and spoken language so that it’s easily understood by all.
In contrast, if you’re working in a rural community, consider using paper-based surveys rather than online forms. These small differences are more culturally sensitive to your target population and ensure that your participants can provide meaningful feedback.
Hone Your Skills in Implementation Science at the University of Florida
Whether you’re new to the field of implementation science or seeking to expand your knowledge and better serve diverse populations, UF’s online Graduate Certificate in Implementation Science can help. This 11-credit program imparts the knowledge and skills needed to successfully integrate innovative medical advancements into the healthcare industry.
We’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation by tailoring a curriculum of four courses that directly align with the goals of implementation science professionals, from nursing to research and beyond. Our courses include:
As an online student at UF, you’ll learn from experienced professors at one of the top 50 national universities in the country, according to U.S. News. In addition, you can complete our online program in as little as one year!
Contact us with any lingering questions, and when you’re ready, apply here.
Sources:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/03/cultural-competence