Perceptions of barriers and facilitators to engaging in implementation science: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Implementation Science
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Implementation science (IS) research is crucial for translating evidence into practice.
• Understanding researcher engagement in IS is vital for its advancement.
• Barriers and facilitators to IS research participation require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore barriers and facilitators influencing researcher engagement in implementation science (IS).
• To identify strategies for enhancing researcher participation in IS initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory qualitative study design.
• Semistructured telephone interviews with 20 health researchers (both engaged and not engaged in IS).
• Interview topics informed by an online survey of US health researchers.

Main Results:

• Key barriers include defining IS, lack of training, and partnership obstacles.
• Facilitators include accessible mentorship, formative IS experiences, and increased IS visibility.
• Motivators for engagement center on mentorship and exposure to IS concepts.

Conclusions:

• Mentorship and exposure are critical for motivating IS research engagement.
• Training and methodological challenges present significant barriers.
• Future research should include junior researchers and students to capture a broader perspective.