Interventions Targeting Practice Change Among Healthcare Providers: An Implementation Science Starter Kit

Abstract

Promoting behaviour change among healthcare providers (HCPs) is crucial for addressing evidence-to-practice gaps in clinical settings. The field of implementation science offers systematic, theory-informed approaches to promote the timely adoption, integration, and sustainment of evidence-based interventions to improve patient care. In this ‘starter kit’, we provide a summary of core concepts from implementation science and highlight its complementarity with health psychology. We then introduce a range of commonly used theories, models, and frameworks that help specify HCP behaviour, identify determinants of HCP behaviour in complex clinical settings, and develop interventions to support implementation efforts. Finally, we offer practical guidance for health psychology scholars on how to apply these concepts and methods to support the development, evaluation, and implementation of interventions targeting practice change among HCPs. We believe that fostering opportunities for mutual learning and collaboration across disciplines is vital to ensure that HCPs and other key interest holders, such as policymakers and health system leaders, are supported in delivering high-quality, evidence-based care.