Feasibility and clinical utility of a process evaluation checklist to improve pediatric pain practices

The Evidence Based Practice Identification and Change (EPIC) intervention (Lee, 2009) is a complex multifaceted knowledge translation process that combines evidence and continuous quality improvement (CQI) to change health professional pain practices. The Process Evaluation Checklist (PEC) was developed to examine the fidelity of the EPIC intervention implementation. The aim was to determine the feasibility, and clinical utility of the PEC. An 8-item questionnaire was developed and administered electronically to 11 research nurses/coordinators from the Translating Research on Pain in Children study (Stevens et al., 2008) who were familiar with using the PEC. Questionnaire items were rated on a 5-point scale, where higher scores indicated higher feasibility and clinical utility of the PEC. Seven questions were related to the feasibility of the PEC measure: (a) the clarity of the instructions on completing the PEC, (b) structure, (c) format of the PEC forms, (d) length of the PEC forms, (e) the scoring method, (f) interpretation of the information obtained, and (g) incorporating the PEC into the practice setting. Clinical utility of the PEC was determined by the extent to which the information obtained from the PEC could be used to guide practice change interventions. Ten of the 11 (91%) participants completed the questionnaire. Feedback indicated that the PEC was feasible during the EPIC intervention implementation. Respondents felt that they were able to interpret the information obtained from the PEC and easily incorporate the PEC into their practice setting. Beginning support was provided for the feasibility and clinical utility of the PEC for use with complex behavior change interventions. Using the PEC to monitor intervention fidelity in different contexts and with different users over longer periods of time will provide additional support to the feasibility and clinical utility of this measure. Supported by Canadian Institutes for Health Research(CIHR)(CTP-79854 and MOP-86605) and doctoral fellowship.