Implementing Evidence-Based Telephone Coaching for Health Behavior Program Enrollment: A Quality Improvement Project

Introduction: This program evaluation describes the use of implementation facilitation to support uptake of a telephone-based engagement coaching intervention, ACTIVATE, using paraprofessional staff, to support health behavior program enrollment. Method: The RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework guided the formative evaluation. A mixed-methods approach was used to integrate qualitative (i.e., rapid analysis approach) and quantitative (i.e., descriptive statistics, chi-square test of independence, logistic regression) analyses for each outcome. Results: Most patients (95%; 319 of 335) were offered ACTIVATE, and 82 patients completed ACTIVATE. Delivery with paraprofessional staff was feasible with adaptations for translation from research to a clinical setting, which are described. External facilitation (a form of implementation facilitation) was associated with higher reach. Discussion: Delivery of telephone-based coaching by paraprofessional staff to support health behavior program enrollment was feasible. External facilitation was important to the translation of ACTIVATE from research to clinical practice. Public Significance Statement Delivery of telephone-based coaching by paraprofessional staff to support health behavior program enrollment was feasible at this telehealth center. External facilitation was important to the translation of ACTIVATE from research to clinical practice.