Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2026
A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level
Published on: January 19, 2024
Use and application of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks in maternal and child health research
Barsha Gadapani Pathak1,2, Sarah Gimbel3, Sudipto Roy4
1Center for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Background:
Institutions responsible for implementing and conducting maternal and child health (MCH) programmes and projects in South Asia have accumulated substantial implementation experience across diverse health system contexts. Despite decades of experience, persistent challenges in intervention adoption, quality of delivery, equity of reach, and sustainability remain. Implementation science theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs) offer structured approaches to understand and address these challenges. However, global reviews have consistently found that TMFs are inconsistently selected, inadequately justified, inconsistently applied, and weakly linked to implementation strategies and outcomes. No regional synthesis has yet examined how TMFs are used in South Asian MCH research.
Objectives:
This protocol describes a methodological systematic review that will: (1) identify and characterise which implementation science TMFs are used in South Asian MCH research; (2) assess how explicitly and systematically TMFs are selected and applied across study phases; (3) examine whether researchers actively selected implementation strategies to address specific determinants, and to specify the mechanisms through which strategies are theorised to affect implementation outcomes; and (4) summarise gaps and opportunities to inform implementation research practice, including the selection of frameworks that are a good contextual fit relative to South Asian MCH settings.
Methods:
We will conduct a methodological systematic review with narrative and analytic synthesis. Eligible studies include primary empirical quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods studies focused on implementation, delivery, scale-up, process evaluation, or quality improvement of MCH interventions in programmatic settings of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan), published since January 2000. Studies will not be excluded based on explicit TMF use; TMF use will instead be treated as an object of analysis. Searches will be conducted across six databases, supplemented by grey literature searches. Screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers using Covidence. TMF application will be appraised using criteria informed by the Systematic Evaluation and Selection of Implementation Science Theories, Models and Frameworks (SELECT-IT framework), and study quality will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
Expected Contribution:
This review will produce the first region-specific synthesis of implementation science TMF use in South Asian MCH research. By systematically uncovering gaps in how previous MCH programme evaluations have applied implementation science frameworks, the review will improve the ability of researchers, implementers, and policymakers to identify key obstacles that limit successful and sustainable programme implementation in the region. Findings will provide methodological guidance to strengthen future implementation research practice and inform the development and contextual adaptation of implementation science frameworks better suited to South Asian MCH contexts.
Systematic Review Registration:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261345489, identifier CRD420261345489.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:18The Scientific Method in Nursing Process
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be safely...
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...