Evidence-Based Programs in France: Insights and Strategies for Implementation Support

Abstract Issue In France, both regional and national health institutions increasingly support and fund the implementation of evidence-based programs (EBP), promoted at the national level by the French Public Health agency. Description of the problem practitioners who implement EBP face several operational questions: scaling issues, implementation in specific and varying contexts, integration and adjustment to daily regional practices. Results/effects In 2023, the French Society for Public Health initiated a collaborative effort to create a platform for discussion among practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers involved in EBP implementation. The first step was to assess EPB implementation experiences, using 3 types of data: an analysis of 6 documented EBP (capitalization works), an online questionnaire answered by 29 stakeholders, and four focus groups with funders, researchers, practitioners, and institutions. Data analysis was based on thematic content analysis and structural data analysis. Lessons Different ways to implement EBP were identified through a typology. The results highlight favorable conditions and levers for EPB implementation in France: • Facilitate access and adoption of EBP by concerned stakeholders, including through clear communication and knowledge sharing; • Strengthen and value support for implementation support (i.e., providing necessary resources and continuous monitoring); • A ‘favorable environment’ is also required (i.e. regional context acceptability and information on program themes or topics); • Breadthen perspectives and promote mutual learning through sharing and comparing implementation experiences across regions; • Value transferability and adaptation studies, which are key to enable EBP adaptations to account for context specificities while maintaining effectiveness. The platform’s next steps are to develop deployment tools and structure an advocacy strategy to mobilize stakeholders around the issue. Key messages • Achieving wide-scale implementation of EBP requires to tackle key implementation issues such as scaling, context adaptation, etc. and to give support to implementing stakeholders. • A collaborative assessment helped identify levers and barriers to EBP implementation in France. Involvement in EBP fosters an evidence-based mindset among practitioners.