Developing and Implementing a Culturally Consonant Treatment Fidelity Support Plan with the Apsáalooke Nation

Shannen Keene (), Sarah Allen, Alma Knows His Gun McCormick, Coleen Trottier, Brianna Bull Shows, John Hallett, Rae Deernose and Suzanne Held
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Shannen Keene: Department of Human Development & Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Sarah Allen: Department of Family Life & Human Development, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT 84720, USA
Alma Knows His Gun McCormick: Messengers for Health, Crow Agency, MT 59022, USA
Coleen Trottier: Department of Human Development & Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Brianna Bull Shows: Department of Human Development & Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
John Hallett: Petaluma Health Center, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
Rae Deernose: Department of Human Development & Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Suzanne Held: Department of Human Development & Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: Treatment fidelity remains underreported in health intervention research, particularly among Indigenous communities. One explanation for this gap is the lack of culturally consonant strategies listed in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) treatment fidelity framework, the gold standard for understanding and measuring fidelity. This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a culturally consonant treatment fidelity support plan across two of the five BCC fidelity areas, provider training and treatment delivery, within a chronic illness self-management program for the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation. Our team selected and adapted strategies from, and added strategies to, the BCC framework, that centered on relational accountability and the Apsáalooke culture. To be culturally consonant, we approached treatment fidelity as supporting Aakbaabaaniilea (Apsáalooke program facilitators) rather than monitoring them. This resulted in the development of a fifth treatment fidelity area: building and fostering relationships. We propose that fidelity to relational accountability is the foundation of successful programs in Indigenous communities. This suggests an important shift from tracking what was conducted in an intervention to prioritizing how things were conducted. We encourage others to view the BCC framework as a starting point in developing fidelity strategies that are consonant with local cultures.

Keywords: treatment fidelity; relational accountability; community-based participatory research; chronic illness self-management; Indigenous; Indigenous research methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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