Implementation Science: Theory and Application

This core textbook introduces the key concepts, theories, models and frameworks used in implementation science, and supports readers applying them in research projects. The first part of the book focuses on the theory of implementation science, providing a discussion of its emergence from the evidence-based practice movement and its connections to related topics such as innovation research. It includes chapters looking at a wide range of theories, methods and frameworks currently used in implementation science, and a chapter focusing on suitable theories that could be imported from other fields. The first part also addresses strategies and outcomes of implementation and discusses how researchers can build causal pathways adapted to their study. The second part of the book focuses squarely on putting the theory of implementation science to work in practice, with chapters discussing research methods used in the field and how to select the most appropriate approach. This section also features several chapters presenting in-depth case studies of specific applications. This multidisciplinary text is an essential resource for graduate students from a range of healthcare backgrounds taking courses on implementation science, as well as researchers from medicine, nursing, public health, allied health, economics, political science, sociology and engineering.

Table of Contents:
1.Origins of the evidence movement. 2.The historical background of implementation science. 3.Fundamentals of implementation science. 4. A taxonomy of theories, models and frameworks in implementation science. 5.Process models. 6.Determinant frameworks. 7.Implementation theories. 8.Theories and concepts from other fields of potential utility for implementation science. 9.Implementation strategies and outcomes. 10.Causal pathway diagrams to understand how implementation strategies work. 11.Implementation science research methods. 12.Selecting theories, models and frameworks. 13.Applying the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework. 14.Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). 15.Applying the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework. 16.Applying the Tailored Implementation for Chronic Disease (TICD) checklist. 17.Applying the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM). 18.Applying Capability Opportunity Motivation – Behaviour (COM-B) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). 19.Applying Normalization Process Theory (NPT). 20.Applying Reach Effectiveness – Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM). 21.A critique of implementation science.

About the Author :
Per Nilsen is a professor of social medicine and public health at Linköping University and a professor of implementation science at Halmstad University, Sweden.

Review :
Professor Nilsen has been providing thought leadership to the field of implementation science for many years. This new book provides a positive feast for those interested in learning more about implementation science. It tells the story of how we got to where we are and pulls together a compendium of key content ranging from theory to tools and techniques. This is definitely a book I will be recommending to students and colleagues to both dip into for information about key concepts and also to read from cover to cover. Professor Annette Boaz, King’s College London, UK Professor Nilsen has been “making sense” of complex issues in implementation science for a long time. Indeed, he has been an international field leader, teacher and ambassador for implementation science since its early days. This book is the culmination of his efforts to communicate with clarity and guide by example. Packed with practical applications, it also provides a history of the field and guidance on where it needs to go (and not go). It will immediately become a core resource for my own teaching and mentoring. Professor Geoffrey M. Curran, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of Limerick, Ireland The proliferation of specialist methods, models, frameworks and theories in implementation science makes for an increasingly complex and sometimes confusing field. This book identifies the core ideas and methods in implementation science, presents them in an accessible way and shows how they can be applied in practice. A book that does this is long overdue. It will be invaluable for students, early career researchers, health professionals, health system managers and policy makers. Professor Carl May, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK I first met Professor Nilsen when he stayed in Hong Kong in 2017 as a Visiting Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. There was burgeoning interest in implementation science at that time, but its importance has grown rapidly in Asia and I believe this book is very timely in Asia now. The insightful book provides a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities faced in implementing evidence-based interventions in diverse settings. It is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in implementation science and its application to solving real-world problems in Asia and beyond. Associate Professor Vincent Chung, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Chinese University of Hong Kong This book is a gift in providing an overview and multiple applications of commonly used theories and frameworks in implementation science. Importantly, it signals the importance of drawing deeply from theories and concepts from other fields and of the discipline of theorizing in implementation science. The authors, international experts, adeptly balance the need to provide a thorough overview of implementation science while maintaining a constructively critical stance that will advance the field in the years to come. Associate Professor Byron J. Powell, Washington University in St. Louis