RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 A Taxonomy for External Support for Practice Transformation JF The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine JO J Am Board Fam Med FD American Board of Family Medicine SP 32 OP 39 DO 10.3122/jabfm.2021.01.200225 VO 34 IS 1 A1 Leif I. Solberg A1 Anton Kuzel A1 Michael L. Parchman A1 Donna R. Shelley A1 W. Perry Dickinson A1 Theresa L. Walunas A1 Ann M. Nguyen A1 Lyle J. Fagnan A1 Samuel Cykert A1 Deborah J. Cohen A1 Bijal A. Balasubramanaian A1 Douglas Fernald A1 Leah Gordon A1 Abel Kho A1 Alex Krist A1 William Miller A1 Carolyn Berry A1 Daniel Duffy A1 Zsolt Nagykaldi YR 2021 UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/34/1/32.abstract AB Background: There is no commonly accepted comprehensive framework for describing the practical specifics of external support for practice change. Our goal was to develop such a taxonomy that could be used by both external groups or researchers and health care leaders.Methods: The leaders of 8 grants from Agency for Research and Quality for the EvidenceNOW study of improving cardiovascular preventive services in over 1500 primary care practices nationwide worked collaboratively over 18 months to develop descriptions of key domains that might comprehensively characterize any external support intervention. Combining literature reviews with our practical experiences in this initiative and past work, we aimed to define these domains and recommend measures for them.Results: The taxonomy includes 1 domain to specify the conceptual model(s) on which an intervention is built and another to specify the types of support strategies used. Another 5 domains provide specifics about the dose/mode of that support, the types of change process and care process changes that are encouraged, and the degree to which the strategies are prescriptive and standardized. A model was created to illustrate how the domains fit together and how they would respond to practice needs and reactions.Conclusions: This taxonomy and its use in more consistently documenting and characterizing external support interventions should facilitate communication and synergies between 3 areas (quality improvement, practice change research, and implementation science) that have historically tended to work independently. The taxonomy was designed to be as useful for practices or health systems managing change as it is for research.