Evaluating feedback from an implementation advisory board to assess the rollout of a postpartum patient navigation program

Background: Patient navigation is an individualized intervention to facilitate comprehensive care which has not yet been fully implemented in obstetric or postpartum care. Methods: We aimed to develop and evaluate a mechanism to incorporate feedback regarding implementation of postpartum patient navigation for low-income birthing individuals at an urban academic medical center. This study analyzed the role of an Implementation Advisory Board (IAB) in supporting an ongoing randomized trial of postpartum navigation. Over the first 24 months of the trial, the IAB included 11 rotating obstetricians, one clinic resource coordinator, one administrative leader, two obstetric nurses, one primary care physician, one social worker, and one medical assistant. Members completed serial surveys regarding program implementation, effects on patient care, and areas for improvement. Quarterly IAB meetings offered opportunities for additional feedback. Survey responses and meeting notes were analyzed using the constant comparative method and further interpreted within the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework. Results: Members of the IAB returned 37 surveys and participated in five meetings over 24 months. Survey analysis revealed four themes among the inner context: reduced clinician burden, connection of care teams, communication strategies, and clinic workflow. Bridging factors included improved patient access to care, improved follow-up, and adding social context to care. Innovation factors included availability of navigators, importance of consistent communication, and adaptation over time. Meeting notes highlighted the importance of bidirectional feedback regarding implementation, and members expressed positive opinions regarding navigators’ effects on patient care, integration into clinic workflow, and responsiveness to feedback. IAB members initially suggested changes to improve implementation; later survey responses demonstrated successful program adaptations. Conclusions: Members of an implementation advisory board provided key insights into the implementation of postpartum patient navigation that may be useful to promote dissemination of navigation and establish avenues for the engagement of implementing partners in other innovations. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03922334. Registered April 19, 2019. The results here do not present the results of the primary trial, which is ongoing.