The Role of Implementation Science in Behavioral Health

Abstract

This chapter reviews and discusses research and practice in the fields of behavioral health and public health from the perspective of implementation science, with an emphasis on critical questions researchers and practice professionals must address as they attempt to improve services in the community. This chapter will also focus on the latter stages concerned with moving programs that have been conceptualized and tested under controlled conditions into clinical practices, paying particular attention to the process of implementation, issues in program fidelity, fit, and adaptation and conclude with a discussion of integration and sustainability.