Strategies for promoting organizational and practice change by advancing implementation research.
BACKGROUND
The persistence of a large quality gap between what we know about how to produce high quality clinical care and what the public receives has prompted interest in developing more effective methods to get evidence into practice. Implementation research aims to supply such methods.


OBJECTIVE
This article proposes a set of recommendations aimed at establishing a common understanding of what implementation research is, and how to foster its development.


METHODS
We developed the recommendations in the context of a translation research conference hosted by the VA for VA and non-VA health services researchers.


CONCLUSIONS
Health care organizations, journals, researchers and academic institutions can use these recommendations to advance the field of implementation science and thus increase the impact of clinical and health services research on the health and health care of the public.
Rubenstein
Lisa V
LV
Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 91343, USA. lisar@rand.org
Pugh
Jacqueline
J
D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000379:methods*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D017749:Total Quality Management; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs