Table 7 The outer and inner setting of the three interventions: ProMuscle, ProMuscle in Practice and the ProMuscle Implementation Pilots

External collaborations (cosmopolitanism) and policies

▪ No collaboration with external parties.

▪ Collaboration with care facilities led to involvement of professionals and availability of local facilities (i.e., training rooms).

▪ Health care professionals in the intensive support intervention were not always aware of the content of the moderate support program, limiting the transition.

▪ Collaboration with GP and medical practice assistant of GP facilitated recruitment and screening of participants.

▪ Collaboration with municipality facilitated subsidy for one group of participants.

▪ Collaboration with municipal health service led to the establishment of an implementation network overarching both municipalities.

Inner setting

ProMuscle

ProMuscle in Practice

ProMuscle Implementation Pilots

Structural characteristics of organization

▪ Intervention was conducted in the university (controlled setting).

▪ Intervention was conducted in care institution, within the municipality where participants live (real-life setting).

▪ Intervention was conducted in physiotherapist practices and dietitian practices within the municipality where participants live (real-life setting of the implementation pilots).

Networks & communications

▪ Researchers conducted the intervention completely; no further relevant communications in the inner setting.

▪ Communication among physiotherapists or among dietitians went well.

▪ Communications between physiotherapists and dietitians went well.

▪ Communication between physiotherapists and dietitians of different practices was facilitated during project meetings and included sharing experiences and best practices.

Implementation climate

▪ The study was performed to investigate efficacy of the intervention, and implementation was not part of the study aims.

▪ Most of the professionals chose to be involved in the intervention and enjoyed facilitating it.

▪ Most of the professionals received enough working hours to conduct the intervention, although some dietitians experienced too little time to conduct the program.

▪ Professionals chose to be involved in the intervention and enjoyed facilitating it.

▪ Conducting the program fell within their regular working hours.

Readiness for implementation

▪ The study was performed to investigate efficacy of the intervention, and implementation was not part of the study aims.

▪ Conducting the program fitted regular working procedures of professionals. However, the intervention was implemented in secondary care, while it would fit better within primary care or public health, based on the target population and professionals involved.

▪ In some cases, the training room was not suitable (noisy, not clean, small), and issues with training machines occurred (delay in delivery and repairments).

▪ Professionals could use materials such as guidelines, training protocols, calendars (protein intake) and registration lists.

▪ Professionals indicated they received participants’ baseline data and medical information too late from researchers, preventing them from tailoring the training intensity at the start of the program or causing a delay in providing the dietary advice.

▪ Conducting the program fitted regular working procedures of professionals.

▪ Available facilities included a spacious, safe environment for training sessions with training machines, and a room for consultations with the dietitian.

▪ Professionals could use materials such as information brochures, recruitment flyers, guidelines, training protocols, registration lists, and workshop materials for the nutrition course.

▪ In one of the municipalities a network with the medical practice assistant of GP was created to facilitate continuous recruitment of participants.