Implementation research

Implementation research is the scientific study of barriers to and methods of promoting the systematic application of research findings in practice, including in public policy.[1] As a rule, scientific efforts are directed at discovery of knowledge or proofs of concept, employing pilot studies or laboratory-based experiments to achieve these goals. Such studies generally do not address questions of whether findings can be generalized or applied in a practice-based domain. Implementation research is the effort to understand the pathway from scientific findings to practical benefit.

Public Health

In the context of public health, the World Health Organization describes implementation research as a form of research which “addresses implementation bottlenecks, identifies optimal approaches for a particular setting, and promotes the uptake of research findings: ultimately, it leads to improved health care and its delivery.” [2] and identifies four notable characteristics: it is systematic, multidisciplinary, contextual, and complex. More broadly, implementation research has been defined as “the scientific inquiry into questions concerning implementation -- the act of carrying an intention into effect, which in health research can be policies, programmes, or individual practices (collectively called interventions).”[3]

A range of qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in implementation research in health. Some methods have been developed specifically for the purpose of implementation research.[4] These are pragmatic trials, participatory action research, effectiveness-implementation hybrid trials and quality improvement studies.[5] A 2018 review of study designs in implementation research found that randomized designs, like cluster RCTs, were used 77% of the time, and 61% of studies included both quantitative and qualitative methods.[6]

A working group of researchers in public health has proposed a standard for reporting implementation studies (_StaRI_) in public health.[7]

Education

As with wider social and human science-related fields, education and learning, involve many personal, social and environmental factors that could influence the outcomes of educational processes and student learning. As a consequence, controlled experiments widely used in educational research at times are hard to reproduce and it is difficult to disseminate their results in real-life setting. As a way to address such problems, in the 20th century a range of methodologies that study real-life learning processes were developed. Among these can be counted lesson study, action research (when applied to education and learning) and phenomenography. More recently more structured methodologies that apply iterative changes to a learning process have been developed, notably design-based research.

Societies
  • Society for Implementation Research Collaboration [8]
  • European Implementation Collaborative [9]
  • The Society for Implementation Science in Nutrition[10]

Journals
  • Implementation Science [11]

References
  1. "Implementation Science". Springer Publishing. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. WHO TDE. "Implementation research toolkit" (PDF). WHO TDR. WHO TDR. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  3. Peters, David H (2013). "Implementation research: what it is and how to do it". BMJ. 347 (8): f6753. doi:10.1136/bmj.f6753.
  4. "Variation in Research Designs Used to Test the Effectiveness of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies: A Review". Frontiers in Public Health. 2018. ISSN 2296-2565. OCLC 7655581063.
  5. Peters, David H (2013). "Implementation research: what it is and how to do it". BMJ. 347 (8): f6753. doi:10.1136/bmj.f6753.
  6. "Variation in Research Designs Used to Test the Effectiveness of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies: A Review". Frontiers in Public Health. 2018. ISSN 2296-2565. OCLC 7655581063.
  7. Pinnock, Hilary; Barwick, Melanie; Carpenter, Christopher R.; Eldridge, Sandra; Grandes, Gonzalo; Griffiths, Chris J.; Rycroft-Malone, Jo; Meissner, Paul; Murray, Elizabeth; Patel, Anita; Sheikh, Aziz; Taylor, Stephanie J C. (2017). "Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) Statement". BMJ. 356: i6795. doi:10.1136/bmj.i6795. PMC 5421438. PMID 28264797. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  8. "About". Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  9. "European Implementation Collaborative |". Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  10. "Home". Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  11. "Implementation Science". Biomed Central. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
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