Criteria for selecting implementation science theories and frameworks: results from an international survey Article Swipe

PDF

Related Concepts

clarity falsifiability health services research management science process (computing) consistency (knowledge bases) health informatics implementation research health administration computer science data science medicine public health epistemology psychological intervention nursing artificial intelligence biochemistry operating system philosophy chemistry economics

Sarah A. Birken , Byron J. Powell , Christopher M. Shea , Emily R. Haines , M. Alexis Kirk , Jennifer Leeman , Catherine L. Rohweder , Laura J. Damschroder , Justin Presseau ·

YOU? · · 2017 · Open Access · · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0656-y · OA: W2765628342

Implementation scientists use a large number of criteria to select theories, but there is little consensus on which are most important. Our results suggest that the selection of implementation theories is often haphazard or driven by convenience or prior exposure. Variation in approaches to selecting theory warn against prescriptive guidance for theory selection. Instead, implementation scientists may benefit from considering the criteria that we propose in this paper and using them to justify their theory selection. Future research should seek to refine the criteria for theory selection to promote more consistent and appropriate use of theory in implementation science.