Background: Stroke survivors experience challenges accessing exercise programming after hospital discharge. The Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) program is an evidence‑based, community-program that can support stroke recovery. After establishing the evidence, free training manuals have been available online to facilitate knowledge translation. The extent of real‑world implementation of FAME is unknown.
Objective: To evaluate the dissemination and implementation of FAME.
Methods: This mixed‑methods, multi-data source study used the RE-AIM Implementation Framework to synthesize: (1) bibliometric analyses; (2) FAME manual download data; (3) an online survey distributed to past downloaders. Quantitative data were summarized descriptively. Qualitative responses underwent inductive content analysis. Findings were converged within the RE‑AIM Framework.
Results: Thirty‑three publications were identified, demonstrating evidence use through randomized clinical trials (45%) with international research uptake (42% outside Canada). Between 2015– 2024, 4279 individuals downloaded the manual, and 188 completed the online survey distributed in 2024. The Reach of FAME has primarily been stroke populations, but also to non-stroke or non-neurological populations (54% and 24% of online survey respondents, respectively). Effectiveness has been tested beyond physically based outcomes, including cognition. From our manual downloads, Adoption of FAME has been primarily by physiotherapists (49%) within healthcare settings (41.8%), compared to community centres (19%). From survey data, Implementation facilitators included ease of finding equipment (51%) and meeting priorities and goals of the user (48%). Maintenance barriers were primarily staffing‑related (48%).
Conclusion: FAME has achieved global implementation beyond its original scope for stroke populations, highlighting good uptake in the healthcare settings and by other researchers.