The science of dissemination and implementation:methodology and research case studies

Abstract

Implementation science is the scientific discipline of implementing evidence-based interventions (EBIs). The research questions that implementation science addresses are the very questions that need to be answered to close the evidence-practice gap. Specifically, the research questions are 1) what are the barriers to and facilitators of implementation of EBIs as routine practice in the field?; 2) what type of approach (implementation strategy) should be used to implement EBIs according to the barriers and facilitators?; 3) do specific implementation strategies improve implementation outcomes?; and 4) how should existing EBIs be adapted to the local context without compromising the effectiveness of the EBIs? Implementation science can serve as a useful guide when there are practices that are beneficial to residents and patients and that stakeholders in the field strongly desire to disseminate and implement. Implementation science also provides an opportunity to scientifically describe such practices and report new findings. This paper first provides a general description of implementation research, and then presents an example of implementation research currently being conducted by the National Cancer Center’s Implementation Science Team on smoking cessation in small- and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, we present our activities related to the dissemination and implementation of implementation science.