This contrasts with typical randomised controlled trials that look at the efficacy of an intervention in an “ideal” or controlled setting and with highly selected patients and standardised clinical outcomes, usually of a short term nature. We provide a framework for using the research question as the basis for selecting among the wide range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods that can be applied in implementation research, along with brief descriptions of methods specifically suitable for implementation research. If so, then you might want to explore these differences in your thesis and explain why some theories work better (or worse) in this particular case. Steps. Earthscan, 2008. All authors reviewed the draft article and made substantial revisions to the manuscript. Is the research conducted in a “real world” setting? Funding: Funding was provided by the governments of Norway and Sweden and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in support of the WHO Implementation Research Platform, which financed a meeting of authors and salary support for NT. Implementation research questions can cover a wide variety of topics and are frequently organised around theories of change or the type of research objective (examples are in supplementary table C).12 13. The next questions to ask yourself are, “What kinds of research will best address my thesis questions? One thing that all proposal essays have in common is that they present the audience with an issue or problem and propose an action or solution. World Health Organization, 2012. The compact edition of the Oxford English dictionary. In some situations, a research paper is also called a "lab report." We do not capture any email address. Part 1 of 3: Starting the Paper ... Write a Research Proposal. Designing and conducting mixed methods research. How to. Oxford University Press, 2012. Raising these questions directly is the best way to get the answers. Are they reliable sources—the best information you can get on the subject? Read more on How to Write a Research Paper. Context can include the social, cultural, economic, political, legal, and physical environment, as well as the institutional setting, comprising various stakeholders and their interactions, and the demographic and epidemiological conditions. Oxford University Press, 1971. Brownson RC, Colditz GA, Proctor EK, eds. Finally, we describe a set of research methods for each type of research question. This article focuses on the context and factors affecting implementation, the key audiences for the research, implementation outcome variables that describe various aspects of how implementation occurs, and the study of implementation strategies that support the delivery of health services, programmes, and policies. If these questions bear on a particular theory or analytic perspective, state that briefly. Be concrete. The structure of the health systems (for example, the roles played by governments, non-governmental organisations, other private providers, and citizens) is particularly important for implementation research on health. Although progress has been made in conceptualising implementation research over the past decade,1 considerable confusion persists about its terminology and scope.2 3 4 The word “implement” comes from the Latin “implere,” meaning to fulfil or to carry into effect.5 This provides a basis for a broad definition of implementation research that can be used across research traditions and has meaning for practitioners, policy makers, and the interested public: “Implementation research is the scientific inquiry into questions concerning implementation—the act of carrying an intention into effect, which in health research can be policies, programmes, or individual practices (collectively called interventions).”. One important implication is that often these actors should be intimately involved in the identification, design, and conduct phases of research and not just be targets for dissemination of study results. Addresses the main questions you propose in your thesis; Relies on materials to which you have access; Can be accomplished within the time available; Divide your topic into smaller projects and do research on each in turn. You can search for specific help, or browse resources by category. Implementation research can consider any aspect of implementation, including the factors affecting implementation, the processes of implementation, and the results of implementation, including how to introduce potential solutions into a health system or how to promote their large scale use and sustainability. Other factors that influence implementation may need to be considered in implementation research. The field of implementation research is growing, but it is not well understood despite the need for better research to inform decisions about health policies, programmes, and practices. Your research will be stronger if you clarify your own perspective and show how it usefully informs your work. What test instruments or observational techniques will you use? It’s important to bring up the right questions here, even if you don’t have all the answers yet. What data will you collect? How will you recruit your test subjects, and how many will be included in your sample? Rogers EM. World Bank, 2008:19-66. What kinds of tests or experiments do you plan, and how will you measure the results? Have you decided which documents and secondary sources are most important? Lindelow M, Wagstaff A. Now is the time to spell out the details—the ones you have nailed down tight and the ones that are still rattling around, unresolved. Guidelines exist on how to design and report such research—the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE).17, Speroff and O’Connor describe a range of plan-do-study-act research designs, noting that they have in common the assessment of responses measured repeatedly and regularly over time, either in a single case or with comparison groups.18 Balanced scorecards integrate performance measures across a range of domains and feed into regular decision making.19 20 Standardised guidance for using good quality health information systems and health facility surveys has been developed and often provides the sources of information for these quasi-experimental designs.21 22 23, Participatory action research refers to a range of research methods that emphasise participation and action (that is, implementation), using methods that involve iterative processes of reflection and action, “carried out with and by local people rather than on them.”24 In participatory action research, a distinguishing feature is that the power and control over the process rests with the participants themselves. Sabatier summarised a set of such factors that influence policy implementation (clarity of objectives, causal theory, implementing personnel, support of interest groups, and managerial authority and resources).9. Does the research appropriately consider changes over time and the level of complexity of the system, including unintended consequences? Likewise, in the humanities, you might consider how different theories offer different insights and contrasting perspectives on the particular novel or film you are studying. Implementation research in health: a practical guide. McKibbon KA, Lokker C, Mathew D. Implementation research. Diffusion of innovations. But you are further along now, and you can flesh out your answers. That’s how you will get the most comprehensive advice, the most pointed recommendations. This research plan does not need to be elaborate or time-consuming. This is usually the case when the investigation in question pertains to an experiment that was conducted in lab-like conditions. Expanding the use of well designed implementation research should contribute to more effective public health and clinical policies and programmes. 2012. They may have changed a bit since your original proposal. The nature of the inquiry (for example, the amount of risk and considerations of ethics, costs, and timeliness), and the interests of different audiences, should determine the level of uncertainty.8 14 Research questions concerning programmatic decisions about the process of an implementation strategy may justify a lower level of certainty for the manager and policy maker, using research methods that would support an adequacy or plausibility inference.14 Where a high risk of harm exists and sufficient time and resources are available, a probability study design might be more appropriate, in which the result in an area where the intervention is implemented is compared with areas without implementation with a low probability of error (for example, P< 0.05). Get discount 10% for the first order. These users may include managers and teams using quality improvement strategies, executive decision makers seeking advice for specific decisions, policy makers who need to be informed about particular programmes, practitioners who need to be convinced to use interventions that are based on evidence, people who are influenced to change their behaviour to have a healthier life, or communities who are conducting the research and taking action through the research to improve their conditions (supplementary table A). Copyright © 2020 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd     京ICP备15042040号-3, Implementation research: what it is and how to do it, http://whatiskt.wikispaces.com/Implementation+Research, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust: 2 x Consultant Paediatrician, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust: Consultant Radiologists, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: Consultant Rheumatologist, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Clinical Oncologist Breast and Urology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: Consultant Gastroenterologist, Women’s, children’s & adolescents’ health. Mixed methods research uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis in the same study. Later, you may also enter the jousts and explain why your approach is superior to the alternatives, in this particular study and perhaps more generally. Implementation outcome variables describe the intentional actions to deliver services.6 These implementation outcome variables—acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, implementation cost, coverage, and sustainability—can all serve as indicators of the success of implementation (table 1⇓). Health Facility Assessment Technical Working Group. Whereas pragmatic trials try to fix the intervention under study, effectiveness-implementation hybrids also intervene and/or observe the implementation process as it actually occurs. Implementation research can overlap with other types of research used in medicine and public health, and the distinctions are not always clear cut. Your instructor can be a great source of feedback here. Health policy and systems research: a methodology reader. Sage Publications, 2009. Develop a tentative research plan early in the project. Still, it is helpful to write it down since it will clarify a number of issues for you and your professor. 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