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Comment
. 2022 Dec 20;7(3):e10356.
doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10356. eCollection 2023 Jul.

The Cystic Fibrosis Learning Network: A mixed methods evaluation of program goals, attributes, and impact

Aricca D Van Citters  1 , Madge E Buus-Frank  1   2 , Joel R King  1 , Michael Seid  3   4 , Megan M Holthoff  1 , Raouf S Amin  3 , Maria T Britto  4 , Eugene C Nelson  1 , Bruce C Marshall  5 , Kathryn A Sabadosa  5
Affiliations
Comment

The Cystic Fibrosis Learning Network: A mixed methods evaluation of program goals, attributes, and impact

Aricca D Van Citters et al. Learn Health Syst. .

Abstract

Introduction: The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation sponsored the design, pilot testing, and implementation of the CF Learning Network (CFLN) to explore how the Foundation's Care Center Network (CCN) could become a learning health system. Six years after the design, the Foundation commissioned a formative mixed methods evaluation of the CFLN to assess: CFLN participants' understanding of program goals, attributes, and perceptions of current and future impact.

Methods: We performed semi-structured interviews with CFLN participants to identify perceived goals, attributes, and impact of the network. Following thematic analyses, we developed and distributed a survey to CFLN members and a matched sample of CCN programs to understand whether the themes were unique to the CFLN.

Results: Interviews with 24 CFLN participants were conducted. Interviewees identified the primary CFLN goal as improving outcomes for people living with CF, with secondary goals of providing training in quality improvement (QI), creating a learning community, engaging all stakeholders in improvement, and spreading best practices to the CCN. Project management, use of data, common QI methods, and the learning community were seen as critical to success. Survey responses were collected from 103 CFLN members and 25 CCN members. The data revealed that CFLN respondents were more likely than CCN respondents to connect with other CF programs, routinely use data for QI, and engage patient and family partners in QI.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that the CFLN provides value beyond that achieved by the CCN. Key questions remain about whether spread of the CFLN could improve outcomes for more people living with CF.

Keywords: coproduction; learning networks; mixed methods evaluation; quality improvement.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors Bruce C. Marshall and Kathryn A. Sabadosa are employees of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The authors state they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Perceptions of CFLN members on network impact
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Perceptions of CFLN members on network operations and future directions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

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