Scaling up success to improve health: Towards a rapid assessment guide for decision makers

• Main Author: Jason Paltzer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Makhdoomi Printers 2015-01-01
• Series: Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health
• Subjects: Scale up; Global Health; Implementation Science; Knowledge Translation
• Online Access: http://gjmedph.com/uploads/R2-Vo4No2.pdf

Introduction Evidence-based health interventions exist and are effectively implemented throughout resource-limited settings. The literature regarding scale-up strategies and frameworks is growing. The purpose of this paper is to identify and systematically document the variation in scale-up strategies to develop a rapid assessment tool for decision-makers looking to identify the most appropriate strategy for their organizational and environmental contexts. Methods A list of scale-up strategies and frameworks were identified through an in-depth literature review and conversations with scale-up and quality improvement leaders. The literature search included a broad range of terms that might be used interchangeably with scale-up of best practices. Terms included: implementation research, knowledge translation, translational research, quality improvement research, health systems improvement, scale-up, best practices, improvement collaborative, and community based research. Based on this research, 18 strategies and frameworks were identified, and nine met our inclusion criteria for scale-up of health-related strategies. We interviewed the key contact for four of the nine strategies to obtain additional information regarding the strategy’s scale-up components, targets, underlying theories, evaluation efforts, facilitating factors, and barriers. A comparative analysis of common elements and strategy characteristics was completed by two of the authors on the nine selected strategies. Key strategy characteristics and common factors that facilitate or hinder the strategy’s success in scaling up health-related interventions were identified. Results Common features of scale-up strategies include: 1) the development of context-specific evidence; 2) collaborative partnerships; 3) iterative processes; and 4) shared decision-making. Facilitating factors include strong leadership, community engagement, communication, government collaboration, and a focus on human rights. The analysis informed the development of a two-step rapid assessment tool that can be used to guide decision-makers in identifying the most appropriate scale-up strategy given their political environment, leadership styles, and program characteristics. Conclusion The rapid assessment proposed in this paper can be used to help bridge the gap in bringing evidence-based health interventions to communities that need them the most. The purpose of the assessment tool is to decrease the time required to scale effective interventions by identifying and applying a strategy appropriate to the innovation, organizational capacity, and social and political environment.