Advancing Translation of Clinical Research Into Practice and Population Health Impact Through Implementation Science

Translational and implementation sciences aim to prioritize and guide efforts to create greater efficiency and speed of scientific innovation across the translational science continuum to improve patient and population health. Key principles and practices rooted in translational and implementation science may be incorporated into clinical trials research, particularly pragmatic trials, to improve the relevance and impact of scientific innovation. This thematic review intends to raise awareness on the value of translational and implementation science in clinical research and to encourage its use in designing and implementing clinical trials across the translational research continuum. Herein, we describe the gap in translating research findings into clinical practice, introduce translational and implementation science, and describe the principles and practices from implementation science that can be used in clinical trial research across the translational continuum to inform clinical practice, to improve population health impact, and to address health care inequities.