What is Implementation Science?

The progress of human knowledge is accelerating. Clinical research is constantly delivering new findings in ever shorter periods of time. They form the foundation for evidence-based innovations in health care. Many of these innovations have the potential to improve health care and public health. Unfortunately, however, in many cases this potential pales into insignificance because it cannot be put into practice.

Obviously, the world of clinical research is separated from the world of health care by a deep divide. In order to enable the exchange between the two worlds, shuttles must be provided. Implementation science offers the necessary methods.

Implementation science has set itself the task of optimizing interventions for a specific environment - as well as identifying the barriers and obstacles that hinder the path to implement these interventions. By showing how these obstacles can be removed and at the same time supporting facilitators, implementation science helps important innovations in the healthcare sector to break through.

Implementation Science also brings findings from care delivery back into medical research.

The word "implementation" comes from the Latin "implere", which can be translated as "to fulfill" or "to put into effect". Implementation science is interested in the behavior of health care professionals and organizations. By involving these stakeholders, implementation science gains a robust empirical understanding of the factors that shape professional and organizational behavior in health care. Thanks to the underlying theories, generalized statements can be obtained. Based on this in-depth understanding, implementation science helps to ensure that patients are increasingly offered those treatments and procedures that have proven to be the most effective.