ReviewImplementation science : IS2013
Never the twain shall meet?--a comparison of implementation science and policy implementation research.
Review in Implementation science : IS, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systems Leadership: a qualitative systematic review of advice for policymakers.Open research Europe · 2025Pooled it
- Bridging the Silos: A Comparative Analysis of Implementation Science and Improvement Science.Frontiers in health services · 2021Pooled it
- Quantitative measures of health policy implementation determinants and outcomes: a systematic review.Implementation science : IS · 2020Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to implementation of menu labelling interventions from a food service industry perspective: a mixed methods systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- Confidence, attitudes, beliefs and determinants of implementation behaviours among physiotherapists towards clinical management of low back pain before and after implementation of the BetterBack model of care.BMC health services research · 2020Trial
- Balancing standardisation and flexibility in National complex intervention scale-up: a qualitative study of leadership experiences and management in the implementation of Proactive Health Support in Denmark.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Barriers and bottlenecks to implementation of WHO recommendations for prevention, detection, and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage: a mixed-methods triangulation study.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- Policy in implementation science: Considerations for measurement-based care in the Canadian Armed Forces.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- Legitimacy, embedding, and learning framework: lessons from individual placement and support for analyzing sustainment and scale-up of complex psychosocial interventions.International journal of public health · 2026Review
- Bridging implementation science and policy change: a Global South perspective.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
- Barriers and Facilitators of the Use of Computerized Critical Care Information Systems in the Intensive Care Unit: Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Identifying implementation science research and policy priorities to advance universal health coverage: a multi-country modified Delphi study.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Translating policy guidelines: a multiple case study of disease prevention in Sweden.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- A guide to utilizing implementation science for genetic counseling.Journal of genetic counseling · 2025Article
- Exploring the facilitators and barriers to achieving universal health coverage in Uganda: a qualitative study of the free healthcare policy.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- Assessing the inner setting among Massachusetts community health centers: opportunities for multilevel investigation and expansion of influences on health equity.Implementation science communications · 2025Article
- The design and implementation of an innovative indicated suicide prevention service in Melbourne.Injury epidemiology · 2025Article
- "International journal of health policy and management · 2025Article
- Using normalisation process theory (NPT) to explore implementation of the maternal perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) policy in Uganda: a reflection.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Bridging the Gap in Policy Implementation through a Health Equity Lens: Insights from a 2-Year Study on Measurement Development.Nutrients · 2024Article
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany of society's health problems require research-based knowledge acted on by healthcare practitioners together with implementation of political measures from governmental agencies. However, there has been limited knowledge exchange between implementation science and policy implementation research, which has been conducted since the early 1970s. Based on a narrative review of selective literature on implementation science and policy implementation research, the aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of policy implementation research, analyze key similarities and differences between this field and implementation science, and discuss how knowledge assembled in policy implementation research could inform implementation science. DISCUSSION: Following a brief overview of policy implementation research, several aspects of the two fields were described and compared: the purpose and origins of the research; the characteristics of the research; the development and use of theory; determinants of change (independent variables); and the impact of implementation (dependent variables). The comparative analysis showed that there are many similarities between the two fields, yet there are also profound differences. Still, important learning may be derived from several aspects of policy implementation research, including issues related to the influence of the context of implementation and the values and norms of the implementers (the healthcare practitioners) on implementation processes. Relevant research on various associated policy topics, including The Advocacy Coalition Framework, Governance Theory, and Institutional Theory, may also contribute to improved understanding of the difficulties of implementing evidence in healthcare. Implementation science is at a relatively early stage of development, and advancement of the field would benefit from accounting for knowledge beyond the parameters of the immediate implementation science literature. SUMMARY: There are many common issues in policy implementation research and implementation science. Research in both fields deals with the challenges of translating intentions into desired changes. Important learning may be derived from several aspects of policy implementation research.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.