▶ The specific development/refinement of population-targeted interventions (most commonly following demonstrated efficacy).
▶ The design of programme components to support the delivery of interventions.
▶ The design and conduct of evaluations of intervention effectiveness, uptake, adoption and sustainability.
However, as pointed out by the US National Institutes of Health's Office of Behavioural and Social Sciences Research,9 there are distinct differences between research aimed at understanding how and why things might work and that more directed at how to translate, spread or disseminate knowledge, including the interventions themselves. Doing one does not guarantee the other.
▶ Intervention outcomes (eg, Are they sustained in regular, ongoing practice? Are they responsible for observed health and safety changes?).
▶ provides guidance on methodological approaches for this area that describe, specify and provide guidance on the qualities of good study designs and approaches in this new area.
Essentially this would cover the why, how and what of implementation/dissemination research, as well as provide good case examples and models of best practice.
BJSM has risen to the challenge of furthering both I&D science for application to sports medicine. From this month, BJSM will include this as a strong theme in each issue and publish at least one paper in this emerging area of importance. In my new role as Senior Associate Editor responsible for I&D in BJSM, I am very excited about the impact that this emphasis will have on ongoing research into intervention development, delivery, uptake and effectiveness. We aim to both set new research agendas and develop novel methods/approaches/standards for I&D research. As a public health researcher working in sports medicine research, I am particularly interested in informing other researchers about the need for implementation/dissemination research focused on public health/health promotion. Of course, there is just as much a need for better clinically focused I&D studies in sports medicine. As a methodologist, I am even keener to develop and promote high standards of scientific excellence for the conduct of such studies. This Editorial is an invitation to all like-minded sports medicine researchers to join me by submitting their best work in I&D to BJSM, contributing to discussion forums via the BJSM blog (http://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm) and twitter (@BJSM_BMJ) groups, and generally by having your say!
Importantly, the major target for this new BJSM focus will continue to be clinical and scientific audiences. However, given that the success of both I&D research requires the involvement of novel and strategic partnerships with key stakeholder groups, policy makers, advocates, media experts, legal experts, social scientists, social marketers, sports bodies, target athlete and participant groups, and so on, we are also aiming to engage those groups more in what we do. To do so, we will also use the same blog and twitter functionality aspects of BJSM to inform these groups and to hopefully engage them in future research.
The new BJSM I&D focus begins in this issue, with a paper from my own research team.10 This paper explains why research into understanding the intervention delivery context is an important crucial initial stage of any implementation study. It also shows how feedback directly obtained from Australian football players was critical for clearly identifying some of the likely challenges that would be met when implementing an exercise training programme with similar players. This information was then used to govern the implementation delivery plan of a subsequent effectiveness trial.
CFF is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Principal Research Fellowship. ACRISP is one of the International Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
. A proposal to speed translation of healthcare research into practice dramatic change is needed. Am J Prev Med 2011;40:637–44.
. The prevention of sport injury: an analysis of 12,000 published manuscripts. Clin J Sport Med 2010;20:407–12.
. Prevention of sports injury I: a systematic review of applied biomechanics and physiology outcomes research. Br J Sports Med 2011; Published Online First: 20 April 2011 doi:doi:10.1136/bjsm.2010.080929.
. Prevention of sport injury II: a systematic review of clinical science research Br J Sports Med 2011; Published Online First: 6 April 2011 doi:doi:10.1136/bjsm.2010.081182.
. Implementing studies into real life. In: Verhagen E, van Mechelen W, eds. Sports Injury Research. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK 2009:213–35.
Office of Behavioural and Social Sciences Research. The Science of Dissmeination and Implementation. Office of Behavioral and Socila Science Research, 2009. http://obssr.od.nih.gov/pdf/DI_Highlights.pdf (accessed 24 May 2011).
. Implementing an exercise training program to prevent lower limb injuries – considerations for the development of a randomised controlled trial intervention delivery plan. Br J Sports Med 2011;45:791–6.