Call for Papers: Journal of Nursing Scholarship Special Issue: Implementation Science
Improving the speed and quality of implementation of scientific evidence into real world settings is a high priority for healthcare systems. Indeed, lack of implementation of scientific evidence in daily clinical practice adds to the already substantial amount of research waste (Glasziou et al., 2014). The numbers are staggering: it takes an average of 17 years before evidence is eventually implemented, and only one third of evidence is ever implemented (Kellam & Langevin, 2003; Balas & Boren, 2000). As a consequence of suboptimal implementation, not only are patients deprived of the benefits of effective treatments and interventions, they might also be exposed to interventions with no proven efficacy or are even harmful.
To improve the translation of research into practice, implementation science has gained increasing attention and is defined as, “Implementation Science is the scientific study of methods to promote the integration of research findings and evidence-based interventions into healthcare policy and practice. It seeks to understand the behavior of healthcare professionals and support staff, healthcare organizations, healthcare consumers, and policymakers in context as key variables in the sustainable uptake, adoption, and implementation of evidence-based interventions” (NIH Fogarty International Center https://www.fic.nih.gov/ResearchTopics/Pages/ImplementationScience.aspx, accessed 2 Oct, 2018).
Implementation science has relevance for all healthcare disciplines, including nursing, and can be applied in a variety of healthcare settings for a broad set of interventions. Implementation science benefits from interprofessional collaboration because various methodological approaches are applied (i.e., mixed methods, hybrid designs, health economic analysis, complexity science).
The goals of this special issue of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship are:
- Shed light on implementation science by showcasing examples how implementation science can be used to create a “value chain” in healthcare in a variety of health care settings—for different types of care settings, for different types of interventions, in all parts of the world.
- Clarify methodologic considerations for implementation science—for instance, theoretical frameworks for implementation science, design considerations, stakeholder involvement, contextual analysis, implementation strategies, and implementation science outcomes.
Submission Guidelines
The Journal of Nursing Scholarship invites authors to submit original research articles on the topic of implementation science. This can be original research studies as well as review papers. Please refer to the “special issue on implementation science” in your cover letter.
Manuscripts should be submitted here.
Author guidelines are available here.
As you will see in reading the author guidelines, manuscripts must not exceed 20 pages, including abstract, body of text, references, tables, and figures. The author is responsible for compliance with APA format and for the accuracy of all information, including citations and verification of all references with citations in the text. Spelling may be in either American or British English.
Manuscript Due: 1 March 2019
Estimated Publication Date: August 2019
Guest Co-Editors
Leah Zullig, PhD, MPH, Duke University, Durham (NC), USA
Mieke Deschodt, PhD, RN, University of Basel, Switzerland & KU Leuven, Belgium
Sabina De Geest, PhD, RN, University of Basel, Switzerland & KU Leuven, Belgium
