We developed a glossary of design techniques, which researchers and providers can use to maximize the usability of health care innovations in everyday practice settings.

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BackgroundInnovative approaches are needed to maximise the uptake and sustainment of evidence-based practices in a variety of health service contexts. This protocol describes a study that will seek to characterise the potential of one such approach, user-centred design (UCD), which is an emerging field that seeks to ground the design of an innovation in information about the people who will ultimately use that innovation. The use of UCD to enhance strategies for implementation of health services, although promising, requires a multidisciplinary perspective based on a firm understanding of how experts from each discipline perceives the interrelatedness and suitability of these strategies.MethodThis online study will use a combination of purposive and snowball sampling to recruit a sample of implementation experts (n = 30) and UCD experts (n = 30). These participants will each complete a concept mapping task, which is a mixed-method conceptualisation technique that will allow for identification of distinct clusters of implementation and/or UCD strategies. The research team has selected a set of implementation strategies and UCD strategies that each participant will sort and rate on dimensions of importance and feasibility. Data analyses will focus on describing the sample, identifying related clusters of strategies, and examining the convergences, divergences, and potential for collaboration between implementation science and UCD.DiscussionBy leading to a better understanding of the overlap between implementation science and UCD, grounded within established theoretical frameworks, this study holds promise for improving the impact and sustainability of evidence-based health services in community settings.

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BackgroundGuidance from economic evaluations on which implementation strategies represent the best return on investment will be critical to advancing the Triple Aim of health care: improving patient care and population health while minimizing per-capita cost. The results of traditional (quantitative) economic evaluations are limited by a remaining “qualitative residual” of contextual information and stakeholders perspectives, which cannot be captured by monetary values alone and is particularly prevalent in implementation science research. The emergence of qualitative methods for economic evaluation offers a promising solution.Main bodyTo maximize the contributions of economic evaluations to implementation science, we recommend that researchers embrace a mixed-methods research agenda that merges traditional quantitative approaches with innovative, contextually grounded qualitative methods. Such studies are exceedingly rare at present. To assist implementation scientists in making use of mixed methods in this research context, we present an adapted taxonomy of mixed-method studies relevant to economic evaluation. We then illustrate the application of mixed methods in a recently completed cost-effectiveness evaluation, making use of an adapted version of reporting standards for economic evaluations.ConclusionsBy incorporating qualitative methods, implementation researchers can enrich their economic evaluations with detailed, context-specific information that tells the full story of the costs and impacts of implementation. We end by providing suggestions for building a research agenda in mixed-method economic evaluation, along with more resources and training to support investigators who wish to answer our call to action.