title: Implementation lessons: the importance of assessing organizational "fit" and external factors when implementing evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.
abstract: In recent years, the demand for evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs has increased, but practitioners often struggle to replicate and implement them as designed in real-world community settings. The purpose of this article is to describe the barriers and facilitators encountered during pilot year attempts to implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program within three types of organizations: (1) small community-based organizations; (2) a school-based organization; and (3) a large decentralized city-sponsored summer youth program. We frame our discussion of these experiences within the context of a systemic, multilevel framework for implementation consisting of (1) core implementation components; (2) organizational components; and (3) external factors. This article explores the organizational and external implementation factors we experienced during the implementation process, describes our lessons learned throughout this process, and offers strategies for other practitioners to proactively address these factors from the start of program planning. These findings may provide useful insight for other organizations looking to implement multi-session, group-level interventions with fidelity.
authors.affiliation: The Policy & Research Group, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demby
authors.affiliation: The Policy & Research Group, New Orleans, Louisiana. Electronic address: alethia@policyandresearch.com.
authors.forename: Alethia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broussard
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dickherber
authors.affiliation: Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Shantice
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atkins
authors.affiliation: The Policy & Research Group, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Lynne W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Jenner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012572:School Health Services
keywords: Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention; Implementation partners; Lessons learned; Organizational fit