Implementation science is a study of how to optimize the implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve individual and population health in the real world. Implementation science is needed because while evidence-based interventions may demonstrate efficacy in controlled clinical trials, the intervention effect may not be replicable due to the difference in target populations (i.e., person, place, time), presence of contextual facilitators and barriers, and varied use of implementation strategies in the real-world setting. Incorporating implementation science concepts into epidemiologic research can make epidemiology more consequential by informing how to intervene to prevent and control diseases. Incorporating epidemiologic methods into implementation science can help unpack how evidence-based interventions operate in the real-world context to elicit health outcomes to inform improved implementation.

This playlist includes readings on key concepts of implementation science for developing implementation research questions for individual manuscripts, study protocols, or grant applications.