Implementation science and its application to population health

Abstract

Implementation science studies the use of strategies to adapt and use evidence-based interventions in targeted settings (e.g., schools, workplaces, health care facilities, public health departments) to sustain improvements to population health. This nascent field of research is in the early stages of developing theories of implementation and evaluating the properties of measures. Stakeholder engagement, effectiveness studies, research synthesis, and mathematical modeling are some of the methods used by implementation scientists to identify strategies to embed evidence-based interventions in clinical and public health programs. However, for implementation science to reach its full potential to improve population health the existing paradigm for how scientists create evidence, prioritize publications, and synthesize research needs to shift toward greater stakeholder input and improved reporting on external validity. This shift will improve the relevance of the research that is produced and provide information that will help guide decision makers in their selection of research-tested interventions.

Figures

Figure 1

Examples of stakeholders at translational steps in the NIH Roadmap Initiative.

Figure 2

Factors that influence the spread and sustained use of innovations in health service delivery and other organizations. From Reference with permission.

Figure 3

Improving the flow and relevance of research evidence for implementation. Adapted from Reference , with permission from the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 30 © 2009 by Annual Reviews, http://www.annualreviews.org.