Methods And Applications In Implementation Science

The purpose of this Research Topic is to share the latest developments in the methods and application of implementation science. Briefly, implementation science is the study of methods to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices, interventions, and policies into routine health care and public health settings. Implementation research plays an important role in identifying barriers to, and enablers of, effective health systems programming and policymaking, and then leveraging that knowledge to implement evidence-based innovations into effective delivery approaches.

Although it is becoming increasingly more common for clinicians to use genomic data in their practices for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, the process of integrating genomic data into the practice of medicine has been a slow and challenging one. Some of the major barriers impeding the incorporation of new genomic technology into clinical practice are: the difficulty of changing routine medical practices to account for the use of genetic testing, the limited knowledge of patients and providers about genomic medicine, assessing sufficient evidence to support the use of genetic tests, privacy and data security issues, and uncertainty about reimbursement. The field of implementation science may be able to provide insights concerning efficient ways to incorporate genomic applications into routine clinical practice. The focus of implementation science studies is to identify integration bottlenecks and optimal approaches for a given setting and ultimately to promote the up-take of research findings. To explore the potential of implementation science to improve the integration of genomics into medicine, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in Washington, DC, in November 2015. Participants explored the challenges and opportunities of integrating genomic advances into the clinic through the lens of implementation science. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

The Handbook on Implementation Science provides an overview of the field’s multidisciplinary history, theoretical approaches, key concepts, perspectives, and methods. By drawing on knowledge concerning learning, habits, organizational theory, improvement science, and policy research, the Handbook offers novel perspectives from a broad group of international experts in the field representing diverse disciplines. The editors seek to advance implementation science through careful consideration of current thinking and recommendations for future directions.

Interest in implementation research is growing, largely in recognition of the contribution it can make to maximizing the beneficial impact of health interventions. As a relatively new and, until recently, rather neglected field within the health sector, implementation research is something of an unknown quantity for many. There is therefore a need for greater clarity about what exactly implementation research is, and what it can offer. This Guide is designed to provide that clarity. Intended to support those conducting implementation research, those with responsibility for implementing programs, and those who have an interest in both, the Guide provides an introduction to basic implementation research concepts and language, briefly outlines what it involves, and describes the many opportunities that it presents. The main aim of the Guide is to boost implementation research capacity as well as demand for implementation research that is aligned with need, and that is of particular relevance to health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Research on implementation requires the engagement of diverse stakeholders and multiple disciplines in order to address the complex implementation challenges they face. For this reason, the Guide is intended for a variety of actors who contribute to and/or are impacted by implementation research. This includes the decision-makers responsible for designing policies and managing programs whose decisions shape implementation and scale-up processes, as well as the practitioners and front-line workers who ultimately implement these decisions along with researchers from different disciplines who bring expertise in systematically collecting and analyzing information to inform implementation questions. The opening chapters (1-4) make the case for why implementation research is important to decision-making. They offer a workable definition of implementation research and illustrate the relevance of research to problems that are often considered to be simply administrative and provide examples of how such problems can be framed as implementation research questions. The early chapters also deal with the conduct of implementation research, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and discussing the role of implementers in the planning and designing of studies, the collection and analysis of data, as well as in the dissemination and use of results. The second half of the Guide (5-7) detail the various methods and study designs that can be used to carry out implementation research, and, using examples, illustrates the application of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs to answer complex questions related to implementation and scale-up. It offers guidance on conceptualizing an implementation research study from the identification of the problem, development of research questions, identification of implementation outcomes and variables, as well as the selection of the study design and methods while also addressing important questions of rigor.

Prose Award Finalist for Nursing and Allied Health Services Category! Awarded First Place in the AJN 2022 Book of the Year Awards in the Community/Public Health Category! "Practical Implementation Science: Moving Evidence Into Action provides the ideal text for a master’s-level implementation science course. It fills an important gap by focusing on building skills among trainees whose careers will focus more on implementation practice than research, and prepares them to partner with scientists to enhance effective implementation in public health and health systems. Most importantly, my students feel that the book is helping make a topic that can be experienced as complex, very accessible." Donna Shelley, MD, MPH Professor Dept. Public Health Policy and Management Director, Global Center for Implementation Science NYU School of Global Public Health Practical Implementation Science is designed for graduate health professional and advanced undergraduate students who want to master the steps of using implementation science to improve public health. Engaging and accessible, this textbook demonstrates how to implement evidence-based practices effectively through use of relevant theories, frameworks, models, tools, and research findings. Additional real-world case studies across public health, global health, and health policy provide essential context to the major issues facing implementation domestically and globally with consideration of communities in low-to-middle-income countries (LMIC). The textbook is organized around the steps involved in planning, executing, and evaluating implementation efforts to improve health outcomes in communities. Coverage spans assessing the knowledge-practice gap; selecting an evidence-based practice (EBP) to reduce the gap; assessing EBP fit and adapting the EBP; assessing barriers and facilitators of implementation; engaging stakeholders; creating an implementation structure; implementing the EBP; and evaluating the EBP effort. Each chapter includes a "how to" approach to conducting the task at hand. The text also addresses the practical importance of implementation science through disseminating EBPs; scaling up EBPs; sustaining EBPs; and de-implementing practices that are no longer effective. All chapters include learning objectives and summaries with emphasized Key Points for Practice, Common Pitfalls in Practice, and discussion questions to direct learning and classroom discussion. Fit for students of public health, health policy, nursing, medicine, mental health, behavioral health, allied health, and social work, Practical Implementation Science seeks to bridge the gap from scientific evidence to effective practice. Key Features: Soup to Nuts Approach – Distills the steps to selecting, adapting, implementing, evaluating, scaling up, and sustaining evidence-based practices Expert Insight – Editors and chapter authors bring years of experience from leading implementation programs and interventions Multidisciplinary Focus – Utilizes cases and research findings relevant to students of public health, medicine, nursing, mental health, behavioral health, and social work Case Studies and Real-World Examples – Blends frameworks, models, and tools with real-world examples for students interested in both domestic and global health eBook Access – Included with print purchase for use on most mobile devices or computers Instructor's Packet – Complete with an Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint slides, and a Sample Syllabus

"This core textbook introduces the key concepts, theories, models and frameworks used in implementation science, and supports readers applying them in research projects. The first part of the book focuses on the theory of implementation science, providing a discussion of its emergence from the evidence-based practice movement and its connections to related topics such as innovation research. It includes chapters looking at a wide range of theories, methods and frameworks currently used in implementation science, and a chapter focusing on suitable theories that could be imported from other fields. The first part also addresses strategies and outcomes of implementation and discusses how researchers can build causal pathways adapted to their study. The second part of the book focuses squarely on putting the theory of implementation science to work in practice, with chapters discussing research methods used in the field and how to select the most appropriate approach. This section is rounded off by eight chapters presenting in-depth case studies of specific applications. This multidisciplinary text is an essential resource for graduate students taking courses on implementation science from a range of healthcare backgrounds, as well as researchers from medicine, nursing, public health, allied health, economics, political science, sociology and engineering"--

This core textbook introduces the key concepts, theories, models and frameworks used in implementation science, and supports readers applying them in research projects. The first part of the book focuses on the theory of implementation science, providing a discussion of its emergence from the evidence-based practice movement and its connections to related topics such as innovation research. It includes chapters looking at a wide range of theories, methods and frameworks currently used in implementation science, and a chapter focusing on suitable theories that could be imported from other fields. The first part also addresses strategies and outcomes of implementation and discusses how researchers can build causal pathways adapted to their study. The second part of the book focuses squarely on putting the theory of implementation science to work in practice, with chapters discussing research methods used in the field and how to select the most appropriate approach. This section also features several chapters presenting in-depth case studies of specific applications. This multidisciplinary text is an essential resource for graduate students from a range of healthcare backgrounds taking courses on implementation science, as well as researchers from medicine, nursing, public health, allied health, economics, political science, sociology and engineering.

This accessible textbook introduces a wide spectrum of ideas, approaches, and examples that make up the emerging field of implementation science, including implementation theory, processes and methods, data collection and analysis, brokering interest on the ground, and sustainable implementation. Containing over 60 concise essays, each addressing the thorny problem of how we can make care more evidence-informed, this book looks at how implementation science should be defined, how it can be conducted, and how it is assessed. It offers vital insight into how research findings that are derived from healthcare contexts can help make sense of service delivery and patient encounters. Each entry concentrates on an important concept and examines the idea’s evidence base, root causes and effects, ideas and applications, and methodologies and methods. Revealing a very human side to caregiving, but also tackling its more complex and technological aspects, the contributors draw on real-life healthcare examples to look both at why things go right in introducing a new intervention and at what can go wrong. Implementation Science: The Key Concepts provides a toolbox of rich, contemporary thought from leading international thinkers, clearly and succinctly delivered. This comprehensive and enlightening range of ideas and examples brought together in one place is essential reading for all students, researchers, and practitioners with an interest in translating knowledge into practice in healthcare.