Evaluation and dissemination of a checklist to improve implementation of work environment initiatives in the eldercare sector - Protocol for a prospective observational study

Background:
To measure the sustainable improvements in the work environment, a flexible and highly responsive tool is needed that will give important focus to the implementation process. A digital checklist was developed, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to document the implementation of changes in eldercare sector workplaces.
Objective:
This paper describes the study protocol of a dissemination study that aims to examine when, why and how the digital checklist is spread to the Danish eldercare sector following a national campaign targeting particularly nursing homes and home care.
Methods:
This prospective observational study will use quantitative data from; Google Analytics and describing use of the checklist as documented website engagement, a survey among members in the largest union in the sector, information from a Central Business Register and monitoring of campaign activities. The evaluation will be guided by the five elements of the RE-AIM framework; Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance.
Results:
The study was approved in June 2016 and began in October 2018. The campaign that is the foundation for the evaluation began in 2017 and ended in 2018. However, the webpage where we collect data is still running. Results are expected in late 2019.
Conclusions:
This protocol provides a working example of how to evaluate dissemination of a checklist to improve implementation of work environment initiatives in the eldercare sector in Denmark. To our knowledge, the implementation in a national-wide Danish work environment has not been previously undertaken. Given that the checklist is sector-specific for work environment initiatives, and developed through systematic collaboration between research and practice, it is likely to have high utility and impact, however the proposed evaluation will determine this. This study will advance dissemination research and in particular the evaluation of the impact of these types of studies. Finally, this study advances the field through digital tools that can be used for evaluation of dissemination efforts (e.g. google analytics associated with website) in the context of a rigorous research design activity.