Pilot Test of a Coach Extender Platform (064)

Study Information

Coaching is identified as an active ingredient in learning collaboratives and has been one of the more successful implementation strategies for achieving organizational change. A significant deficit with coaching, however, is its labor intensiveness for the coach, organization, and involved staff. This is a substantial barrier because expense often makes this pivotal implementation strategy cost prohibitive. Accordingly, coaching techniques need to be designed for scale-up and affordability to maximize the full potential of the external coaching function. Moreover, there needs to be more clarity and consistency regarding what occurs within the coaching sessions. This “black box” of coaching results in variation in practice and results. This project will explore whether technology can provide an affordable way to extend the coaching function and increase coaching effectiveness. We will test a Coaching Extender Platform (CEP) in a project-focused design that begins a coaching project by providing an online orientation module on how to benefit the most from the different CEP features. The orientation module will introduce the initial needs assessment, a project planning charter template that the site can use to set goals and track progress, online resources on how to implement the targeted practice, tutorials on change management techniques, and a message board allowing the site and the coach to communicate with each other. The CEP will incorporate a formal, customized blueprint for implementing behavior and systems change, focused initially on improving the opioid cascade of care in jail settings. The blueprint will include a checklist of practices found to be successful in implementing the targeted practice. Online tracking and reporting of blueprint progress allow for an audit and feedback function that organizations and coaches can use as an initial needs assessment and, after that, to guide implementation and technical assistance activities.

Study Team

PI: Todd Molfenter, Ph.D.

Logo of George Mason University

Research Type

Pilot Study