Utilisation and application of implementation science in complex suicide prevention interventions: A systematic...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Complex, multilevel, and multicomponent suicide prevention interventions require systematic understanding for effective real-world application.
• Implementation science offers a framework to study the adoption, delivery, and sustainability of these interventions.
• This review examines the utilization of implementation science in understanding and evaluating complex suicide prevention strategies.

Approach:

• A systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted.
• Searches were performed across multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, SCOPUS, CENTRAL) for English-language records from 1990-2022.
• Complex interventions were defined as having ≥3 components and implemented across ≥2 socio-ecological levels.

Key Points:

• 139 records identified 19 complex interventions.
• Implementation science approaches, primarily process evaluations, were explicitly stated in 13 interventions.
• The utilization of implementation science was found to be inconsistent and incomprehensive.

Conclusions:

• Understanding intervention implementation is crucial for theory-practice knowledge translation in suicide prevention.
• Inconsistent reporting and inadequate understanding of implementation processes lead to loss of critical knowledge.
• Further research is needed to comprehensively apply implementation science to complex suicide prevention interventions.