Sebastian Potthoff

• PhD (Psychology)
• Assistant Professor of Implementation Science at Northumbria University

Introduction Excessive alcohol consumption is a leading global risk factor for ill-health and premature death. Digital alcohol interventions can be effective at reducing alcohol consumption, but their widespread adoption is lagging behind. This study aimed to identify factors promoting or inhibiting the implementation of a digital alcohol intervent...

Background The process of tailored implementation is ill-defined and under-explored. The ItFits-toolkit was developed and subsequently tested as a self-guided online platform to facilitate implementation of tailored strategies for internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) services. In ImpleMentAll, ItFits-toolkit had a small but positive...

Background Implementation outcomes measures can be used to assess the implementation of complex health and social care interventions, but evidence for the use of these measures, and their psychometric properties, remains limited. The NoMAD (Normalisation Measure Development) survey, based on Normalisation Process Theory, was developed to assess, mo...

Background. The process of tailored implementation is ill-defined and under-explored. The ItFits-toolkit was developed and subsequently tested as a self-guided online platform to facilitate implementation of tailored strategies for internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) services. In ImpleMentAll, ItFits-toolkit had a small but positive...

Aim This feasibility trial examined the acceptability of a community-based COVID-19 education and physical therapy programme for improving the symptomology of individuals with Long COVID-19. Methods A sample of 22 individuals (age: 46±16, male: 12 & female: 10), 11±4 months since initial infection with Long COVID-19 symptoms (persisting for ≥12 we...

Background Implementing evidence-based healthcare practices (EBPs) is a complex endeavour and often lags behind research-informed decision processes. Understanding and systematically improving implementation using implementation theory can help bridge the gap between research findings and practice. This study aims to translate, pilot, and validate...

Background Improving health and social care services involves engaging stakeholders in the implementation process. The literature currently reports suboptimal stakeholder engagement in implementation science. Here we draw on the international large-scale ImpleMentAll (IMA) study to illustrate the development of the Implementation-STakeholder Engage...

Issue addressed: Interventions targeting health care professionals' behaviours are assumed to support them in learning how to give behavioural advice to patients, but such assumptions are rarely examined. This study investigated whether key assumptions were held regarding the design and delivery of physical activity interventions among health care...

Background The implementation science literature acknowledges a need for engagement of key stakeholders when designing, delivering and evaluating implementation work. To date, the literature reports minimal or focused stakeholder engagement, where stakeholders are engaged in either barrier identification and/or barrier prioritisation. This paper be...

Background Implementation of evidence-based healthcare practices (EBPs) is a complex endeavour and is often lagging behind research-informed decision processes. Understanding and systematically improving implementation using implementation theory can help bridge the gap between research findings and practice. This study aims to translate, pilot and...

Background: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) services for common mental health disorders have been found to be effective. There is a need for strategies that improve implementation in routine practice. One-size-fits-all strategies are likely to be ineffective. Tailored implementation is considered as a promising approach. The self...

Introduction Many adults hospitalised with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog that limit day-to-day activities. These symptoms can last over 2 years. Whilst there is limited controlled studies on interventions that can support those with ongoing symptoms, there has been some promise in rehabilitation int...

Introduction Alcohol consumption is a leading global risk factor for ill-health and premature death. Alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI) delivered in primary care is effective at reducing alcohol consumption, but routine implementation remains problematic. Screening all patients for excessive drinking (universal screening) is resource-i...

BACKGROUND Internet-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (iCBT) services for common mental health disorders have been found to be effective. There is a need for effective strategies to improve implementation in routine practice. One-size-fits-all strategies are likely to be ineffective and tailored implementation is considered as a promising approach....

PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022337444 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022337444

Background: Normalization Process Theory (NPT) identifies mechanisms that have been demonstrated to play an important role in implementation processes. It is now widely used to inform feasibility, process evaluation, and implementation studies in healthcare and other areas of work. This qualitative synthesis of NPT studies aims to better understand...

In this White Paper, we outline recommendations from the perspective of health psychology and behavioural science, addressing three research gaps: (1) What methods in the health psychology research toolkit can be best used for developing and evaluating digital health tools? (2) What are the most feasible strategies to reuse digital health tools acr...

Background Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) is frequently used to inform qualitative research that aims to explain and evaluate processes that shape late-stage translation of innovations in the organisation and delivery of healthcare. A coding manual for qualitative researchers using NPT will facilitate transparent data analysis processes and wil...

Abstract Rationale: Translating research evidence into clinical practice to improve care involves healthcare professionals adopting new behaviours and changing or stopping their existing behaviours. However, changing healthcare professional behaviour can be difficult, particularly when it involves changing repetitive, ingrained ways of providing ca...

Background: Effectiveness of implementation strategies is influenced by the extent to which they are based on appropriate theories concerning the behaviours that the strategies intend to impact. Effectiveness may be limited simply because the strategies are based on theories that are limited in scope or are derived from partially inaccurate assumpt...

Objective Habitual behaviours are triggered automatically, with little conscious forethought. Theory suggests that making healthy behaviours habitual, and breaking the habits that underpin many ingrained unhealthy behaviours, promotes long-term behaviour change. This has prompted interest in incorporating habit formation and disruption strategies i...

Background. Qualitative studies, especially those conducted by teams of researchers, may benefit from clearly structured, parsimonious, coding manuals. The process of creating rigorous and robust coding manuals for individual studies is rarely described, and generalizable coding manuals are rare. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides conceptu...

Background: Alcohol consumption is a leading global risk factor for ill-health and premature death. Alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI) delivered in primary care are effective at reducing alcohol consumption, but their routine implementation remains problematic. Screening all patients for heavy drinking (universal) is resource-intensiv...

Background: There is a wide recognition that the development of new innovations does not guarantee uptake in routine practice. Implementation science applies a set of methods, theories and frameworks to support the spread and normalisation of innovations. Work within the implementation literature has focused on tailoring of implementation strategie...

How can I motivate my clients? How and when should I talk to my patients about weight loss or alcohol? What types of goals should people set? How are behavioral changes maintained? Questions like these are encountered every day in practical settings, and healthcare practitioners, counsellors, coaches or teachers may not always know the answers. Re...

Health psychology is at the forefront of developing and disseminating evidence, theories, and methods that have improved the understanding of health behaviour change. However, existing evidence dissemination approaches may be insufficient for promoting the broader application and impact of findings to benefit the health of patients and the public....

Background Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) is found effective in treating common mental disorders. However, the use of these interventions in routine care is limited. The international ImpleMentAll study is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. It is concerned with studying and improving methods for implementing...

Background The implementation of new medical interventions into routine care involves healthcare professionals adopting new clinical behaviours and changing existing ones. Whilst theory-based approaches can help understand healthcare professionals’ behaviours, such approaches often focus on a single behaviour and conceptualise its performance in te...

Theories of behaviour used to understand healthcare professional behaviour often focus on the deliberative processes that drive their behaviour; however, less is known about the role that implicit processes such as habit have on healthcare professional behaviour. This systematic review aimed to critically appraise and synthesise research evidence i...

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) prescribe, provide advice, conduct examinations, perform surgical procedures, and engage in a range of clinical behaviours. Their clinical actions are characteristically performed repeatedly—sometimes multiple times per day—in the same physical locations with the same colleagues and patients, under constant time pres...

Background Increased alcohol consumption prior to surgery increases the risk of postoperative complications. Preoperative assessment offers the opportunity to screen and intervene to address alcohol consumption. Preoperative nursing staff already assess alcohol consumption but do not employ a validated screening tool and are rarely trained in inter...

Background Gaps in the quality of care provided to people with type 2 diabetes are regularly identified. Healthcare professionals often have a strong intention to follow practice guidelines during consultations with people with type 2 diabetes; however, this intention does not always translate into action. Action planning (planning when, where and...

Use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in response to stressful life events varies by country, though research has been limited to comparisons between American and Asian cultures. This study aimed to compare six European countries to investigate cross-cultural differences in the use of cognitive strategies and test if the relationship betwe...

The current article details a position statement and recommendations for future research and practice on planning and implementation intentions in health contexts endorsed by the Synergy Expert Group. The Group comprised world-leading researchers in health and social psychology and behavioural medicine who convened to discuss priority issues in pla...

Title Planning to be routine: automaticity as a mediator of the planning behaviour relationship in healthcare professionals Background Clinicians often have strong intentions to provide evidence-based care to people with type 2 diabetes. Intentions are an important predictor of behaviour, but do not guarantee enactment. Action planning (AP) and co...

Title Cross-Cultural Differences in Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies: A Comparison between Six European Countries Background Use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in response to stressful life events varies by country, though research has been limited to Americans and Asians. We aimed to compare six European countries to investiga...