Participatory approaches for tailoring implementation strategies in healthcare settings: a scoping review of contemporary literature (2019-2024).

backgroundParticipatory approaches are crucial for identifying the determinants of successful implementation and informing the development of implementation strategies. However, systematic knowledge regarding the nature of participatory approaches for tailoring implementation strategies in healthcare remains limited. Therefore, we explored and mapped participatory approaches used in tailoring implementation strategies, characterized them, and conducted an exploratory analysis of their reported links to implementation outcomes.

methodsA scoping review of contemporary literature was conducted using MEDLINE via PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL via EBSCOhost that included literature published between January 2019 and December 2023. The search was updated for 2024. Backward and forward citation tracking was applied for studies that included labeled participatory approaches and quantitative outcomes. Two raters independently screened the literature. An adapted Intervention Component Analysis (ICA) was conducted as an exploratory approach to analyze reported characteristics.

resultsBased on 24,240 citations, 129 studies were identified. Among them, 71 studies reported labeled participatory approaches, summarized in seven main categories: co-approaches, design, research, engagement, mapping, knowledge translation and other approaches. Nearly two-thirds were common approaches such as co-design, while slightly more than one-third were specific, such as the Person-Based Approach. More than half of these were implementation-specific, e.g., implementation mapping. Among these approaches, the linking of determinants to implementation strategies was based primarily on interest-holder theory (experience-based). Empirically measured quantitative outcomes were identified in 12 studies, six of which were eligible for ICA. All six studies reported positive findings of participatory approaches applied to the tailoring of implementation strategies. Among them, three studies reported results for each tailoring step and linked them to the participatory approach used. Three studies reported significant quantitative outcomes. However, no method showed a notable link to the success of participatory approaches for tailoring implementation strategies.

conclusionThis scoping review identified diverse participatory approaches that were applied for tailoring implementation strategies in healthcare. The emergence of implementation-specific participatory approaches highlights the need to consider specialized methods in implementation science. The lack of rigorously evaluated studies across all tailoring phases emphasizes the need for further research to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of effective participatory approaches for tailoring implementation strategies.

trial registrationProtocol registered on Open Science Framework (24 April 2024, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RQKTP ).