A Delphi study to prioritize implementation strategies to increase the adoption of screening and referral for brain injury among survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault within community-based organizations.

BACKGROUND: Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are at a high risk for injuries to the head, neck, and face that can result in a traumatic brain injury (BI). Despite increasing evidence of the high risk for BI in this vulnerable population, IPV-BI screenings remain critically under-implemented in community-based organizations (CBOs) serving IPV survivors. The aim of this community-engaged dissemination and implementation project was to co-identify implementation strategies to increase the adoption of IPV-BI screening and referral within intimate partner violence (IPV)-serving CBOs. METHODS: We used a modified Delphi method to prioritize 47 CBO relevant strategies from the Expert Recommendations for Implementation Change compendium to increase the adoption of BI screening and referral among IPV-serving CBOs. In Round-1, 14 Community-campus advisory board (CAB) members, including representatives from 10 CBOs prioritized relevant strategies in a virtual meeting. In Round-2, 62 CBOs staff members responded to a survey to refine a subset of prioritized strategies to 6–8 primary strategies that could be tested across the CBOs. RESULTS: CAB participants identified 21 strategies as particularly relevant to CBOs including 4 educational, 2 technical assistance, 5 staff and leadership, 4 management and evaluation, and 6 organizational workflow strategies. Survey responses indicated 7 of the 21 strategies were most consistently rated as relevant and feasible. The final list of 7 strategies included training opportunities, ongoing consultation, developing implementation plans, establishing local screening and referral protocols, soliciting survivor feedback, promoting adaptability, and tailoring strategies to CBO contexts. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of creating tailored implementation strategies within IPV-serving CBOs to enhance the adoption of brain injury screening and referral protocols. The identified strategies offer valuable insights into optimizing support for IPV survivors and advancing public health interventions.