ReviewFrontiers in public health2018
Variation in Research Designs Used to Test the Effectiveness of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies: A Review.
Review in Frontiers in public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 5 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
39 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A realist review of factors critical for the implementation of eHealth in chronic disease management.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Application of the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) compilation of strategies to health intervention implementation in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.Implementation science : IS · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The dissemination and implementation of contingency management for substance use disorders: A systematic review.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2020Pooled it
- Systematic review of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework.Implementation science : IS · 2019Pooled it
- Mapping Methods: Charting Future Priorities for Research Methods in Dissemination and Implementation Science.Research square · 2026Article
- Perceived Barriers and Potential Strategies for People Who Use Drugs in Accessing Oral Healthcare: A Qualitative Study of Service Providers.Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2026Article
- Navigating qualitative methods choices in dissemination and implementation research.Implementation science : IS · 2025Article
- Methodological recommendations for assessing the impact of adaptations on outcomes in implementation research.Implementation science : IS · 2025Article
- Adaptive Designs in Implementation Science and Practice: Their Promise and the Need for Greater Understanding and Improved Communication.Annual review of public health · 2024Review
- Best practice transfer by public health nurses in Japan: actual conditions and related factors.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Advancing healthcare equity through dissemination and implementation science.Health services research · 2023Review
- Promoting physical activity and a healthy active lifestyle in community-dwelling older adults: a design thinking approach for the development of a mobile health application.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Real-world data to evaluate effects of a multi-level dissemination strategy on access, outcomes, and equity of monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2023Article
- Association between the number of adopted implementation strategies and contextual determinants: a mixed-methods study.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Required sample size to detect mediation in 3-level implementation studies.Implementation science : IS · 2022Article
- Implementation Science: Increasing the Public Health Impact of Audiology Research.American journal of audiology · 2022Review
- Development of a qualitative data analysis codebook informed by the i-PARIHS framework.Implementation science communications · 2022Article
- Dissemination and Implementation Science in Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Review and Case Study.The Annals of thoracic surgery · 2022Review
- Dissemination and Implementation Science to Advance Health Equity: An Imperative for Systemic Change.Commonhealth (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe need for optimal study designs in dissemination and implementation (D&I) research is increasingly recognized. Despite the wide range of study designs available for D&I research, we lack understanding of the types of designs and methodologies that are routinely used in the field. This review assesses the designs and methodologies in recently proposed D&I studies and provides resources to guide design decisions.
methodsWe reviewed 404 study protocols published in the journal
resultsOf the 404 protocols reviewed, 212 (52%) studies tested one or more implementation strategy across 208 manuscripts, therefore meeting inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, 77% utilized randomized designs, primarily cluster RCTs. The use of alternative designs (e.g., stepped wedge) increased over time. Fewer studies were quasi-experimental (17%) or observational (6%). Many study design categories (e.g., controlled pre-post, matched pair cluster design) were represented by only one or two studies. Most articles proposed quantitative and qualitative methods (61%), with the remaining 39% proposing only quantitative. Half of protocols (52%) reported using a theoretical framework to guide the study. The four most frequently reported frameworks were Consolidated Framework for Implementing Research and RE-AIM (
conclusionWhile several novel designs for D&I research have been proposed (e.g., stepped wedge, adaptive designs), the majority of the studies in our sample employed RCT designs. Alternative study designs are increasing in use but may be underutilized for a variety of reasons, including preference of funders or lack of awareness of these designs. Promisingly, the prevalent use of quantitative and qualitative methods together reflects methodological innovation in newer D&I 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.