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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Systematic Review by Dr. Wagenaar assesses the use of the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC)

CSDE Affiliate Bradley H. Wagenaar (Associate Professor, Global Health) and co-authors published their systematic review in Implementation Science, called “Application of the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) compilation of strategies to health intervention implementation in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review“. The Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project developed a compilation of implementation strategies that are intended to standardize reporting and evaluation. Little is known about the application of ERIC in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Authors systematically reviewed the literature on the use and specification of ERIC strategies for health intervention implementation in LMICs to identify gaps and inform future research.

Authors searched peer-reviewed articles published through March 2023 in any language that (1) were conducted in an LMIC and (2) cited seminal ERIC articles or (3) mentioned ERIC in the title or abstract. Two co-authors independently screened all titles, abstracts, and full-text articles, then abstracted study, intervention, and implementation strategy characteristics of included studies.

The final sample included 60 studies describing research from all world regions, with over 30% published in the final year of their review period. Most studies took place in healthcare settings (n = 52, 86.7%), while 11 (18.2%) took place in community settings and four (6.7%) at the policy level. Across studies, 548 distinct implementation strategies were identified with a median of six strategies (range 1–46 strategies) included in each study. Most studies (n = 32, 53.3%) explicitly matched implementation strategies used for the ERIC compilation. Among those that did, 64 (87.3%) of the 73 ERIC strategies were represented. Many of the strategies not cited included those that target systems- or policy-level barriers. Nearly 85% of strategies included some component of strategy specification, though most only included specification of their action (75.2%), actor (57.3%), and action target (60.8%). A minority of studies employed randomized trials or high-quality quasi-experimental designs; only one study evaluated implementation strategy effectiveness.

While ERIC use in LMICs is rapidly growing, its application has not been consistent nor commonly used to test strategy effectiveness. Research in LMICs must better specify strategies and evaluate their impact on outcomes. Moreover, strategies that are tested need to be better specified, so they may be compared across contexts. Finally, strategies targeting policy-, systems-, and community-level determinants should be further explored.

 

Khan, Errett, and Walter Study the Roles and Responsibilities of Public Housing Authorities in State Disaster Plans

Amber Khan (PhD Candidate, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences) with CSDE Affiliates Nicole Errett (Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences), Rebecca Walter (Real Estate), and co-authors released research in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, “Assessing the roles and responsibilities of public housing authorities in state-level disaster plans“. As anthropogenic climate change rapidly increases the intensity and frequency of disasters across the United States (U.S.), low-income renters in the private housing market as well as those in federally assisted housing (through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)), live in areas that are disproportionately prone to hazards and are at greater risk of housing loss and displacement. In the U.S., low-income households, many of which are elderly or disabled, are eligible for HUD-subsidized housing units, which are managed by roughly 4000 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), for which HUD provides oversight. In this study, we aim to understand the disaster risk management roles and responsibilities assigned to PHAs through a content analysis of state-level disaster plans, including EOPs, recovery plans, and specific disaster housing or housing recovery plans. Understanding PHA involvement in state-level disaster planning is necessary for improving future disaster policy that prioritizes the well-being of low-income renters before, during, and after disasters, as well as evaluating specific actions that other partners are currently taking or can take in the future to improve PHA disaster risk management strategies.
*This CSDE news story is a corrected repost of a story that ran in the Oct. 30th newsletter. PhD candidate Amber Khan is the lead-author on the featured article, which comes from her dissertation.