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. 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.” 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.”
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. These are pragmatic trials, participatory action research, effectiveness-implementation hybrid trials and quality improvement studies. 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.
A working group of researchers in public health has proposed a standard for reporting implementation studies in public health.

Education

Societies