Simple, Usable, Strategy Templates for Achieving Initiative Sustainability (SUSTAINS): A practical guide

Policy makers and health practitioners understand the critical importance of implementing evidence-based interventions to improve population health outcomes. However, research shows that less than 20% of these interventions are sustained beyond two years after the initial support ends. Without dedicated efforts to maintain these effective interventions in community and clinical settings, the true public health benefits of these initiatives cannot be realised. It's crucial to ensure that the significant resources and billions of dollars invested in initial program implementation are not wasted and to build community trust and confidence in the public health programs we deliver. Currently, policy makers and practitioners lack comprehensive guidance on how to practically sustain their interventions in real-world settings. Simple, Usable, Strategy Templates for Achieving Initiative Sustainability (SUSTAINS): A Practical Guide aims to advance this field by filling the gap in practical guidance for policy makers and practitioners on successfully and sustainably implementing evidence-based discrete health interventions. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for identifying barriers, assessing an organisation’s capacity for program sustainment, and selecting, refining, and operationalising strategies to support the ongoing delivery of programs. Additionally, the guide includes several examples of how each template can be completed, providing a practical framework for application.