Shedding light on conditions for the successful passive dissemination of recommendations in primary care: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: Passive dissemination of information in healthcare refers to the publication or mailing of newly established guidelines or recommendations. It is one of the least costly knowledge translation activities. This approach is generally considered to be ineffective or to result in only small changes in practice. Recent research, however, suggests that passive dissemination could, under certain conditions, result in modifications of practice, similar to more active dissemination approaches. The objective of our study was to uncover the conditions associated with the change in primary care practice, namely Family Medicine Groups (FMGs) in Quebec (Canada), following the passive dissemination of recommendations for the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (AD). METHODS: We used a three-step, innovative, convergent mixed methods design based on a multiple case study in eight FMGs. Two studies were conducted in parallel: (1) a before and after retrospective chart review and a cluster analysis of FMGs performed on two clinical performance indicators—the rate of AD diagnosis and the quality of follow-up care; (2) a qualitative descriptive study using interviews and focus groups with FMG clinicians and healthcare managers. The results were integrated using joint displays. RESULTS: After the passive dissemination of the recommendations, some FMGs started to implement the recommendations while other FMGs did not change their practice with respect to the AD diagnosis rate and quality of follow-up care. Three interrelated conditions were identified for the successful passive dissemination of clinical recommendations: (1) FMG clinicians with a moderate to high baseline expertise and confidence, which was linked to their existing collaboration with hospital-based specialists in dementia and their motivation; (2) the presence of a self-identified champion (individual champion or collective championship) in the FMGs taking the lead, motivating the clinical staff or organizing training; (3) the availability of sufficient clinical staff enabled these two conditions to have an impact on the implementation of recommendations through passive dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Passive dissemination of clinical recommendations, a low-cost knowledge translation approach, may lead to practice change under some specific conditions. More active dissemination efforts may only be needed in sites where these conditions are absent. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13012-018-0822-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.