Implementation research

Implementation research is the systematic study of methods that support the application of research findings and other evidence-based knowledge into policy and practice.[1] It aims to understand the most effective pathways from research to practical application, particularly in areas such as health, education, psychology and management.[2] Intervention research, also known as intervention science, evaluates how various interventions or approaches are adopted and applied in “real world” settings in order to establish an understanding of their effectiveness in different contexts.[2]

Compare translational research and translational medicine.

Public health

In the context of public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) 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.” [3] The WHO identifies four notable characteristics of implementation research: 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).”[2]

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.[2] 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.[4]

A working group of researchers in public health has proposed a standard for reporting implementation studies (StaRI) in public health.[5]

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.

References
  1. Hussey PS, Anderson GF, Osborn R, Feek C, McLaughlin V, Millar J, Epstein A (2006-02-22). "How does the quality of care compare in five countries?". Health Affairs. 23 (3): 89–99. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-1-1. PMC 1436009. PMID 15160806.
  2. Peters DH, Adam T, Alonge O, Agyepong IA, Tran N (April 2014). "Republished research: Implementation research: what it is and how to do it: implementation research is a growing but not well understood field of health research that can contribute to more effective public health and clinical policies and programmes. This article provides a broad definition of implementation research and outlines key principles for how to do it". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 48 (8): 731–736. doi:10.1136/bmj.f6753. PMID 24659611. S2CID 52862104.
  3. WHO TDE. "Implementation research toolkit" (PDF). WHO TDR. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  4. Mazzucca S, Tabak RG, Pilar M, Ramsey AT, Baumann AA, Kryzer E, et al. (2018). "Variation in Research Designs Used to Test the Effectiveness of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies: A Review". Frontiers in Public Health. 6: 32. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00032. OCLC 7655581063. PMC 5826311. PMID 29515989.
  5. Pinnock H, Barwick M, Carpenter CR, Eldridge S, Grandes G, Griffiths CJ, et al. (March 2017). "Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) Statement". BMJ. 356: i6795. doi:10.1136/bmj.i6795. PMC 5421438. PMID 28264797.

Further reading
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