Table 2 Types of Studies to Address Blockages in the Implementation Process
From: An introduction to implementation science for the non-specialist
| Implementation Process Gap | Types of Studies |
|---|---|
| Limited external validity of efficacy/effectiveness studies | • Design clinical interventions ready for implementation earlier in the research pipeline, emphasizing tools, products, and strategies that mitigate variations in uptake across consumer, provider, and or organizational contexts |
| Quality gaps across systems due to variations in organizational capacity (e.g., resources, leadership) | • Assess variations and customize implementation strategies based on organizational context |
| • Data infrastructure development to routinely capture or assess implementation fidelity, patient-level processes/outcomes of care, and value/return-on-investment measures | |
| • Further refinement of implementation strategies involving organizational and/or provider behavior change | |
| • Development of provider/practice networks to conduct implementation studies or evaluation of national programs | |
| Frontline provider competing demands (e.g., multiple clinical reminders) | • Refinement of implementation strategies using cross-disciplinary methods that address provider behavior/organizational change (e.g., business, economics, policy, operations research. etc.) |
| • Positive deviation or adaptation studies especially to improve implementation at lower-resourced, later-adopter sites | |
| Misalignment with national or regional priorities | • National policy/practice roll-outs |
| • Randomized evaluations of national programs or policies |