Beyond implementation: A collective case study exploring the conceptions and facilitators of sustainability in a quality improvement collaborative

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a primary cause of adult hospitalizations and imposes substantial burdens on patients and healthcare systems. Initiatives that support providers and patients in addressing needs at each stage of this illness are needed. The INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program™ was introduced in 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to improve care for those with advanced COPD. The huge success of the program led to its expansion to various contexts and geographic locations through a pan-Canadian quality improvement collaborative (QIC). Our study explored early elements of program planning and practice with an aim to understand factors that influence program sustainability. We evaluated the implementation process of 19 teams across Canada; post-collaborative team reports, focus groups, interviews and self-ratings of progress were collected from all teams. Analysis of data revealed three phases important to fostering sustainability (facilitating implementation, keeping the momentum, and securing sustainability) and each phase had unique supporting themes. Not surprisingly, teams that planned for sustainability early in the implementation process were more likely to successfully achieve program sustainability. However, teams also benefited more broadly from sustainability planning; this included being better able to plan for program spread as well as skill retention and knowledge transfer. This was also seen for quality improvement skills introduced early in the program that were more likely to be maintained and used through other contexts when sustainability planning was present. This study highlights that a QIC can be effective in not only influencing program sustainability but also beyond program implementation through improving knowledge and skill acquisition.