Development and testing of an evidence-informed structured survey tool for planning tailored technical assistance

Technical assistance (TA) provides training to improve program development or implementation. This study developed an evidence-informed TA survey tool for planning tailored TA. The survey captures the recipients' preferred TA delivery methods by activity categories and TA duration and identifies barriers and facilitators to TA engagement. Two phases were carried out: 1) outlining the survey components and assessing face and content validity, and 2) testing the survey with state tobacco control staff and analyzing the survey responses using descriptive statistics. Twenty-seven tobacco control managers and staff representing 14 U.S. state tobacco control programs participated in testing the survey. The final survey included 21 questions. Virtual meetings were the preferred TA delivery method for three TA activities: 1) professional development, 2) coaching and mentoring, and 3) collaborative work. The preferred duration was 1.4–3.0 h/month. Respondents wanted pragmatic information with actionable steps (92 %) and examples of similar challenges other programs address (89 %) in the TA sessions. Respondents pointed to low organizational capacity (76 %) and competing priorities (76 %) as barriers to TA engagement. The TA survey allows TA providers to identify TA recipients' preferences regarding TA activities and delivery methods, the TA duration, and potential barriers preventing recipients from participating in TA sessions.