Building Practical Skills in Implementation and Dissemination Science: A Competency-Based Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Implementation Science Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Limited availability of practical, competency-based curricula for advanced implementation science (IS) training.
• Existing IS courses are often introductory, lacking applied skill-building for healthcare quality and equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design and rationale of a novel competency-based Practical Implementation Science course.
• To equip advanced learners with essential skills for translating evidence into real-world healthcare practice.

Main Methods:

• Course developed using "Practical Implementation Science: Moving Evidence into Action" and the Quality Implementation Framework.
• Employs a flipped classroom model with active, practice-based learning, case studies, and iterative project work.
• Flexible, interdisciplinary design adaptable for various health professions students at beginner/intermediate levels.

Main Results:

• 15 weekly sessions cover core IS topics including practice gaps, intervention adaptation, stakeholder engagement, evaluation, and sustainability.
• Integrates theory with application through case studies, team exercises, and capstone projects with feedback.
• Utilizes formative and summative assessments to gauge competency development in applied IS.

Conclusions:

• The proposed course offers a scalable and flexible model for training healthcare professionals in applied implementation science.
• Future work includes pilot testing, formal evaluation, and adaptation for interprofessional and global settings.
• Aims to build a diverse, equity-oriented workforce skilled in evidence translation for practice.