Implementing a rapid analysis framework to evaluate wellness initiatives in Massachusetts federally qualified health centers

INTRODUCTION: High patient volume and acuity introduce heightened strains on healthcare services, which increases the risk of healthcare staff burnout. The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League) and researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) partnered to create Be Well Together (BWT), funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, with the goal of assessing the workforce wellness culture and impact of burnout in four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Massachusetts. OBJECTIVE: Describe the rapid analysis framework developed by the BWT team to analyze baseline and follow-up listening sessions with health center leadership and managers. METHODS: Ten baseline listening sessions and eight follow-up listening sessions were conducted at the beginning and end of the grant period to discuss workforce wellness themes such as burnout, access to wellness resources, and use of resources. The BWT team developed a rapid analysis framework to qualitatively code the interviews and analyze the current states of workforce wellness at the FQHCs. RESULTS: Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed, and then the team used the six-step BWT rapid analysis process to identify qualitative codes. Summaries of the data were presented to each site's champions and/or leadership in site-specific and aggregate formats. DISCUSSION: Rapid analysis is an effective method to prepare information for dissemination efficiently. This framework allowed the BWT team to draw comparisons over a three-year study and can be used in future multi-group studies when conducting qualitative interviews over a longitudinal period.