Getting cozy with causality: Advances to the causal pathway diagramming method to enhance implementation precision

• Published in: Implementation research and practice Vol. 5; p. 26334895241248851
• Main Authors: Klasnja, Predrag, Meza, Rosemary D., Pullmann, Michael D., Mettert, Kayne D., Hawkes, Rene, Palazzo, Lorella, Weiner, Bryan J., Lewis, Cara C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.01.2024; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Methodology; implementation outcomes; implementation strategy; causal pathway; theory; implementation determinants; mechanisms of action
• ISSN: 2633-4895; 2633-4895
• DOI: 10.1177/26334895241248851

Background Implementation strategies are theorized to work well when carefully matched to implementation determinants and when factors—preconditions, moderators, etc.—that influence strategy effectiveness are prospectively identified and addressed. Existing methods for strategy selection are either imprecise or require significant technical expertise and resources, undermining their utility. This article outlines refinements to causal pathway diagrams (CPDs), a method for articulating the causal process through which implementation strategies work and offers illustrations of their use. Method CPDs are a visualization tool to represent an implementation strategy, its mechanism(s) (i.e., the processes through which a strategy is thought to operate), determinants it is intended to address, factors that may impede or facilitate its effectiveness, and the series of outcomes that should be expected if the strategy is operating as intended. We offer principles for constructing CPDs and describe their key functions. Results Applications of the CPD method by study teams from two National Institute of Health-funded Implementation Science Centers and a research grant are presented. These include the use of CPDs to (a) match implementation strategies to determinants, (b) understand the conditions under which an implementation strategy works, and (c) develop causal theories of implementation strategies. Conclusions CPDs offer a novel method for implementers to select, understand, and improve the effectiveness of implementation strategies. They make explicit theoretical assumptions about strategy operation while supporting practical planning. Early applications have led to method refinements and guidance for the field. Plain Language Summary Title Advances to the Causal Pathway Diagramming Method to Enhance Implementation Precision Plain Language Summary Implementation strategies often fail to produce meaningful improvements in the outcomes we hope to impact. Better tools for choosing, designing, and evaluating implementation strategies may improve their performance. We developed a tool, causal pathway diagrams (CPD), to visualize and describe how implementation strategies are expected to work. In this article, we describe refinements to the CPD tool and accompanying approach. We use real illustrations to show how CPDs can be used to improve how to match strategies to barriers, understand the conditions in which those strategies work best, and develop generalizable theories describing how implementation strategies work. CPDs can serve as both a practical and scientific tool to improve the planning, deployment, and evaluation of implementation strategies. We demonstrate the range of ways that CPDs are being used, from a highly practical tool to improve implementation practice to a scientific approach to advance testing and theorizing about implementation strategies.