Table 1.
Definitions and conceptualizations of sustainability
| First Author | Year | Definition/Conceptualization | Paper Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracht [14] | 1994 | -sustainability is conceptualized as incorporation--'the maintenance of specific intervention program types over time, after external funding resources' (p.246) |
-measured long-term program maintenance through annual surveys to assess the level of incorporation (e.g., who is operating program, program modifications) of 27 Heart Health intervention programs |
| Shediac-Rizkallah [16] | 1998 | -sustainability is likely a matter of degree rather than an 'all or none' phenomenon - definition must specify what is to be sustained, how or by whom, how much and by when |
-presented an organizing framework for conceptualizing and measuring sustainability |
| O'Loughlin [17] | 1998 | -permanence: 'At this point in time, how permanent do you think the (intervention) is at (provider)?' (p.704) | -investigated factors related to the perceived sustainability of heart health promotion interventions |
| Greenhalgh [18] | 2004 | -'making an innovation routine until it reaches obsolescence.' (p.582) | -summarized an extensive literature review about sustaining innovations in health service delivery |
| Pluye [19] | 2004 | -sustainability is a parallel process that occurs at the same time as implementation - events can be specific to sustainability, specific to implementation, or belong to both sustainability and implementation |
-reviewed empirical studies on program sustainability |
| Scheirer [15] | 2005 | -three definitions for sustainability: continued program activities; continued program benefits; maintained community capacity | -review of 19 empirical studies on sustainability of health-related programs in Canada and US |
| LaPelle [20] | 2006 | -defined levels of program sustainability (i.e., none, low, moderate, and high) based on the extent to which community-based tobacco treatment services were able to continue after program funding was terminated. | -used qualitative analysis of state and community level programs to investigate factors contributing to sustainability of services after defunding |
| Gruen [21] | 2008 | - the simplest definition of sustainability is the 'capability of being maintained at a certain rate or level' (p.1580). | -systematically reviewed conceptual frameworks and empirical studies about health program sustainability |