Prologue

Abstract

In the wake of the evidence-based movement, which advocates for using research findings and empirically supported practices to achieve improved health and welfare of populations, implementation science has emerged as a vital, rapidly expanding research field. Implementation science is commonly defined as the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of research findings and other evidence-based practices into routine practice. This Prologue provides a brief introduction to the field of implementation science, identifies antecedent research and other influences on research conducted in the field, and describes the field’s development over time. The Prologue ends with the book’s short- and longer-term ambitions.