What Is Implementation Science?
Implementation science is the study of how to make sure good, evidence-based ideas in medicine and public health actually reach people.
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This post was written by Guest Contributor Bertha A. Hidalgo, PhD, MPH, FACE. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for the Office of Access & Engagement at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.
What Is Implementation Science?
Implementation science is the study of how to make sure good, evidence-based ideas in medicine and public health actually reach people.
In the hospital, very sick patients may need a central line to receive important medicines and fluids. In the past, these helpful tubes too often led to serious infections in the bloodstream. Doctors already knew how to prevent those infections: clean hands, sterile tools, careful steps. But in busy hospitals, those steps didn’t always happen the same way every time.
Today, many hospitals use checklists, teamwork rules, and safety steps that make infections much less likely. Thanks to these changes, hospital care is safer, and more patients make it home.
That kind of change can happen because of implementation science!
Implementation science is the study of how to make sure good, evidence-based ideas in medicine and public health actually reach people. Because here’s something surprising: on average, it takes about 17 years for a new medical discovery to become part of everyday care. That’s a long time to wait when lives are at stake.
Implementation science can help shorten that gap significantly.
Public health win/example: Think about riding in a car. Years ago, many people didn’t wear seat belts, even though we already knew they saved lives. Over time, laws, school lessons, car reminders, and public safety campaigns helped make buckling up a normal habit.
Now, most people click their seat belt without even thinking (at least we hope you do!), and many families are still together today because of it.
That’s implementation science too! Not discovering something new, but helping people use what we already know works.
Why this matters to all of us: Implementation science touches our lives in ways we may never see:
§ It’s the infection that never happened.
§ The car crash someone survived.
§ The vaccine that quietly prevented illness.
It helps make sure that where you live, how busy your doctor’s office is, or how complicated the health system feels doesn’t decide whether you benefit from medical progress.
Implementation science is how research turns into real safety, real care, and real protection for real families...including yours.
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