Implementation Science

Closing the gap between clinical evidence and delivery of care

  • The implementation science stream aims to increase uptake of proven interventions, improve patient outcomes, reduce unwarranted variation in care, and support cost effective, sustainable practice change across health systems.

    We help health care teams translate high quality clinical evidence into routine practice. We focus on making evidence based care practical, acceptable and sustainable within real world health systems so patients consistently receive optimal care.

    Implementing change in clinical services is complex: it requires understanding of local contexts, engaging clinicians and consumers, designing pragmatic interventions, and evaluating outcomes over time. Our work combines rigorous research methods with collaborative, system level problem solving to identify barriers, test solutions, and embed successful approaches into everyday care.

    Our work primarily focuses on improving health care in spinal cord injury and motor neurone disease (MND). However, our implementation expertise supports numerous other projects, spanning diverse clinical areas, such as critical care, cancer care, and arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions.

  • Associate Professor Marnie Graco is an Implementation Scientist and clinician researcher with a background in physiotherapy. Her PhD (University of Melbourne 2019) investigated the clinical management of sleep apnoea in people living with spinal cord injury, and with Medical Research Future Fun (MRFF) funding she is now testing alternative care models that facilitate access to sleep apnoea assessments and treatments.

    Her post-doctoral fellowship, funded by Motor Neurone Disease Research Australia (MNDRA) sought to understand the causes of low uptake and usage of non-invasive ventilation in people living with Motor Neurone Disease. She is now working with the Australian MND community to co-design solutions that address the problems she identified.

  • Facilitating Access to Sleep Apnoea Screening and Treatment in Spinal Cord Injury (FASST-SCI)

    Stay tuned for more information about projects and research within the implementation science stream.