Jensen Todd M, Metz Allison J, Disbennett Mackensie E, Farley Amanda B
School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Implement Res Pract. 2023 Sep 3;4:26334895231199063. doi: 10.1177/26334895231199063. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.
Attention is being placed on the "ironic gap" or "secondary" research-to-practice gap in the field of implementation science. Among several challenges posited to exacerbate this research-to-practice gap, we call attention to one challenge in particular-the relative dearth of implementation research that is tethered intimately to the lived experiences of implementation support practitioners (ISPs). The purpose of this study is to feature a qualitative approach to engaging with highly experienced ISPs to inform the development of a practice-driven research agenda in implementation science. In general, we aim to encourage ongoing empirical inquiry that foregrounds practice-driven implementation research questions.
Our analytic sample was comprised of 17 professionals in different child and family service systems, each with long-term experience using implementation science frameworks to support change efforts. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Our analysis followed a qualitative content analysis approach. Our focal conceptual category centered on the desired areas of future research highlighted by respondents, with subcategories reflecting subsets of related research question ideas.
Interviews yielded varying responses that could help shape a practice-driven research agenda for the field of implementation science. The following subcategories regarding desired areas for future research were identified in respondents' answers: (a) stakeholder engagement and developing trusting relationships, (b) evidence use, (c) workforce development, and (d) cost-effective implementation.
There is significant promise in bringing implementation research and implementation practice together more closely and building a practice-informed research agenda to shape implementation science. Our findings point not only to valuable practice-informed gaps in the literature that could be filled by implementation researchers, but also topics for which dissemination and translation efforts may not have yielded optimal reach. We also highlight the value in ISPs bolstering their own capacity for engaging with the implementation science literature to the fullest extent possible.
实施科学领域正关注“具有讽刺意味的差距”或“二次”研究与实践的差距。在被认为会加剧这一研究与实践差距的若干挑战中，我们特别关注其中一个挑战——与实施支持从业者（ISP）的实际经历紧密相关的实施研究相对匮乏。本研究的目的是采用定性方法，与经验丰富的ISP进行交流，为制定以实践为驱动的实施科学研究议程提供信息。总体而言，我们旨在鼓励进行持续的实证探究，突出以实践为驱动的实施研究问题。
我们的分析样本由17名来自不同儿童和家庭服务系统的专业人员组成，他们都长期使用实施科学框架来支持变革工作。通过深入的半结构化访谈收集数据。我们的分析采用定性内容分析方法。我们的核心概念类别集中在受访者强调的未来研究的期望领域，子类别反映相关研究问题想法的子集。
访谈产生了不同的回答，这些回答有助于为实施科学领域制定以实践为驱动的研究议程。在受访者的回答中确定了以下关于未来研究期望领域的子类别：（a）利益相关者参与和建立信任关系，（b）证据使用，（c）劳动力发展，以及（d）具有成本效益的实施。
将实施研究与实施实践更紧密地结合起来，并建立一个以实践为依据的研究议程以塑造实施科学，具有重大前景。我们的研究结果不仅指出了文献中存在的有价值的、可由实施研究人员填补的以实践为依据的差距，还指出了传播和转化工作可能未达到最佳效果的主题。我们还强调了ISP尽可能充分提升自身参与实施科学文献能力的价值。
