Implementation Science

Implementation Science is the scientific study of methods to facilitate the uptake of evidence into day-to-day practice.

Implementation Sciences Team

What is Implementation Science?

Implementation Science is the scientific study of methods to facilitate the uptake of evidence into day-to-day practice. We bring structure to the process of implementation to design robust implementation strategies and measure health, service and implementation outcomes.

Why do we need Implementation Science?

Generating clinical evidence is only part of the implementation journey. To optimise the benefits of clinical research we need to implement the findings in practice. But, implementing change in health and social care is challenging! The systems we work in are complex and so too are individual behaviour(s). All too often we rely on what we think might work and we need robust methods to create generalisable implementation knowledge.

The Melbourne School of Health Sciences Implementation Science Team

The implementation science team at the Melbourne School of Health Sciences investigates a range of different implementation challenges from innovations to reducing low-value care. We work to three aims:

Implementation Sciences diagram - flow chart

As specialists in implementation science, our research is both condition and context agnostic. Examples of the diversity of clinical fields where we work include physiotherapy, genomic medicine and medical engineering through to aged care and policy. We have particular interests in implementation of digital health interventions, consumer engagement and narrowing the equity gap. You can find our publications in the leading Implementation Science journal including the theory of implementability1aligning intuition and theory2 and evaluating co-design3.

Not all implementation strategies work, so to avoid wasted time and effort, we need to build a theory-informed evidence base to discover effective strategies for closing care gaps. Our vision is to enhance health outcomes, reduce health inequalities and improve health service users’ experience of care.

Implementation Science Resources

Looking to collaborate with us? This form will guide you through the questions you need to ask before starting an implementation study.

Handy Implementation Science resources: Take a look at these curated resources at the Melbourne Academic Center for Health (MACH).

Interested in Implementation Science training? Check out our Specialist Certificate in Implementation Science.

References

Klaic, M., Kapp, S., Hudson, P. et al.  Implementability of healthcare interventions: an overview of reviews and development of a conceptual framework. Implementation Sci 17, 10 (2022). http://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-021-01171-7

Taylor, N., McKay, S., Lon, J.C. et a;. Aligning  intuition and theory: a novel approach to identifying the determinants of behaviours necessary to support implementation of evidence into practice . Implementation Sci 18, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01284-1

Peters, S., Guccione, L., Francis, J. et al. Evaluation of research co-design in health: a systematic overvire of revies and development of a framewor. Implementation Sci 19, 63 (2024). http://doi/10.1186/s13012-024-01394-4

Meet our researchers in health services research and implementation science