Provincial PPE Safety Coach Program Evaluation in Continuing Care Settings in Alberta.

Background: Alberta Health Services (AHS) offered the Provincial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Safety Coach Program to continuing care homes to provide support to staff regarding the safe and appropriate use of PPE.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate staff experiences of training, adoption, and perceived impact of the program. Data were gathered using an online survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews. The evaluation drew on two implementation science frameworks to review implementation processes and contextual factors influencing program uptake and participant experiences: RE-AIM, for its focus on program planning and processes and the CFIR to guide the review of characteristics and settings that may explain why implementation was or was not successful.

Results: A total of 283 surveys and 22 qualitative interviews were completed. Key factors continuing care staff considered and provided feedback on are grouped into the following categories: program uptake, program content and delivery, skills and knowledge, the program's perceived impact and feedback from non-adopting sites.

Conclusions: Trained staff were largely satisfied with the delivery and content of the modules and other staff indicated it was beneficial to have support from trained staff. Sites that did not adopt the program indicated that the timing of the launch, ongoing staffing challenges, and the use of alternative PPE training were barriers to uptake.