Quality Improvement in Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Follow-Up to a "Focus on Fidelity".

Abstract

Background: In teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) evidence-based program replication, fidelity toolkits (FTKs) provide structure to ensure that essential curricular components are delivered as intended.

Objective: The purpose of this project was to extend quality improvement efforts (Flinders, 2017) through analysis of FTKs from four years of TPP implementation.

Methods: An evidence-based TPP program was delivered to females, 15-19 years of age (n = 1,658) from four suburban Ohio counties. Fidelity rates were calculated by agency staff and undergraduate nursing students. Grounded theory was used to identify themes from the narrative sections of the FTKs. Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2008) guided this quality improvement work.

Results: Staff fidelity was reported as 98.38%. Student fidelity was reported at 99.05%. Key themes, identified as a result of the qualitative analysis, were categorized as participant factors, site factors, or presenter factors.

Conclusions: Toolkits created an effective safeguard to ensure the replication of the evidence-based TPP program, with fidelity.

Implications for nursing: Undergraduate students are capable of implementing evidence-based programming, with fidelity, to meet the educational needs of their communities. Analysis of narrative comments from toolkits can influence FTK revisions to improve program delivery.