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Strategies Used by Effective Practice Facilitators

Strategies Used by Effective Practice Facilitators: An EvidenceNOW study of 162 practice facilitators and 1,630 small- to medium-sized practices found that practices working with more effective facilitators had a 3.6% higher improvement in mean delivery of heart health services, including aspirin for eligible individuals, blood pressure control, and smoking screening and cessation counseling. Effective facilitators used a combination of the following strategies. Cultivate Motivation: Ask open-ended questions to clarify practice goals and challenges; Remain flexible about what practices choose to focus on; Tailor quality improvement activities to primary care practices’ needs, goals, and preferences. Guide Primary Care Practices Through the Change Process: Assess practices’ readiness to change; Help practices think critically to identify pain points and brainstorm solutions; Share experiences from other practices to cross-pollinate ideas and stimulate thinking; Empower and guide practice staff to implement changes themselves. Address Resistance to Change: Address concerns directly; Encourage practices to pinpoint and minimize barriers to change. Provide Accountability and Project Management Support: Hold regular meetings with clear agendas; Summarize action items; Assign tasks to specific practice staff; Establish target deadlines, track progress, and provide reminders.

Strategies Used by Effective Practice Facilitators (PDF, 544 KB)

Source: Sweeney SM, Baron A, Hall JD, et al. Effective Facilitator Strategies for Supporting Primary Care Practice Change: A Mixed Methods Study. The Annals of Family Medicine. Sep 2022, 20 (5) 414-422. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2847.

Note: Some facilitators may have been effective in making changes that were not captured if those changes were outside the scope of the study. Individual practice characteristics can also influence the strategies facilitators use and practices’ ability to make changes.

Page last reviewed January 2023
Page originally created January 2023

Internet Citation: Strategies Used by Effective Practice Facilitators. Content last reviewed January 2023. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
https://www.ahrq.gov/evidencenow/research-results/results/infographics/facilitator-strategies.html

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