Implementation research is important in global health to address the challenges of the know-do gap in real world settings, and the practicalities of achieving national and global health goals.Implementation research is an integrated concept linking research and practice to accelerate the development and delivery of public health approaches. It involves the creation and application of knowledge to improve the implementation of health policies, programmes, and practices. It uses multiple disciplines and methods, and emphasises partnerships between community members, implementers, researchers and policy makers. Implementation research focuses on practical approaches to improve implementation; to enhance equity, efficiency, scale up and sustainability, and ultimately to improve people's health. There is growing interest in the principles of implementation research, and a range of perspectives on its purposes and appropriate methods.However, there have been limited efforts to systematically document and review learning from the practice of implementation research across different countries and technical areas. Drawing on an expert review process, this paper presents purposively selected case studies to illustrate the essential characteristics of implementation research and its application in low and middleincome countries (LMICs). The case studies are organized in four categories related to the purposes for using implementation research: impacting people's health, informing policy design and implementation, improving health service delivery, and empowering communities and beneficiaries. Common characteristics of these case studies are the focus on addressing implementation problems, ensuring a partnership approach to the co-creation of solutions, including using tacit knowledge, and commitment of key stakeholders to a pathway towards impact. The case studies reveal the complex adaptive nature of health systems, emphasize the importance of understanding context, and highlight the role of multidisciplinary, rigorous and adaptive processes which allow for course correction to ensure interventions have an impact. This Implementation Research: New Imperatives and Opportunities in Global HealthPanel 1: Key messages 1. Implementation research offers a way to understand and address implementation challenges and make a positive impact on people's health by contributing to building stronger and more responsive health systems within the realities of specific contexts. 2. Implementation research can lead to positive health outcomes, inform policy design, improve health management and service delivery, and support and empower communities and beneficiaries. 3. Implementation research uses multidisciplinary approaches and a range of empirical and systematic methods to document, analyse and address key health problems and test technical health interventions as well as contextually tailored innovative strategies within the foundations of local context. 4. Implementation research can be used to evaluate the feasibility, adoption, and a...

BackgroundSlow progress has been made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Ghana. Ensuring continuum of care (at least four antenatal visits; skilled birth attendance; postnatal care within 48 hours, at two weeks, and six weeks) for mother and newborn is crucial in helping Ghana achieve these goals and beyond. This study examined the levels and factors associated with continuum of care (CoC) completion among Ghanaian women aged 15–49.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted among women who experienced live births between January 2011 and April 2013 in three regions of Ghana. In a two-stage random sampling method, 1,500 women with infants were selected and interviewed about maternal and newborn service usage in line with CoC. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with CoC completion.ResultsOnly 8.0% had CoC completion; the greatest gap and contributor to the low CoC was detected between delivery and postnatal care within 48 hours postpartum. About 95% of women had a minimum of four antenatal visits and postnatal care at six weeks postpartum. A total of 75% had skilled assisted delivery and 25% received postnatal care within 48 hours. Factors associated with CoC completion at 95% CI were geographical location (OR = 0.35, CI 0.13–0.39), marital status (OR = 0.45; CI 0.22–0.95), education (OR = 2.71; CI 1.11–6.57), transportation (OR = 1.97; CI 1.07–3.62), and beliefs about childhood illnesses (OR = 0.34; CI0.21–0.61).ConclusionThe continuum of care completion rate is low in the study site. Efforts should focus on increasing postnatal care within 48 hours and overcoming the known obstacles to increasing the continuum of care completion rate.

Background Antimicrobial misuse is common in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), and this practice is a driver of antibiotic resistance. We compared community-based antibiotic access and use practices across communities in LMICs to identify contextually specific targets for interventions to improve antibiotic use practices. Methods We did quantitative and qualitative assessments of antibiotic access and use in six LMICs across Africa (Mozambique, Ghana, and South Africa) and Asia (Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Thailand) over a 2•5-year study period (July 1, 2016-Dec 31, 2018). We did quantitative assessments of community antibiotic access and use through supplier mapping, customer exit interviews, and household surveys. These quantitative assessments were triangulated with qualitative drug supplier and consumer interviews and discussions. Findings Vietnam and Bangladesh had the largest proportions of non-licensed antibiotic dispensing points. For mild illness, drug stores were the most common point of contact when seeking antibiotics in most countries, except South Africa and Mozambique, where public facilities were most common. Self-medication with antibiotics was found to be widespread in Vietnam (55•2% of antibiotics dispensed without prescription), Bangladesh (45•7%), and Ghana (36•1%), but less so in Mozambique (8•0%), South Africa (1•2%), and Thailand (3•9%). Self-medication was considered to be less time consuming, cheaper, and overall, more convenient than accessing them through healthcare facilities. Factors determining where treatment was sought often involved relevant policies, trust in the supplier and the drug, disease severity, and whether the antibiotic was intended for a child. Confusion regarding how to identify oral antibiotics was revealed in both Africa and Asia. Interpretation Contextual complexities and differences between countries with different incomes, policy frameworks, and cultural norms were revealed. These contextual differences render a single strategy inadequate and instead necessitate context-tailored, integrated intervention packages to improve antibiotic use in LMICs as part of global efforts to combat antibiotic resistance. Funding Wellcome Trust and Volkswagen Foundation.

Objective To examine the impact of providing rapid diagnostic tests for malaria on fever management in private drug retail shops where most poor rural people with fever present, with the aim of reducing current massive overdiagnosis and overtreatment of malaria.Design Cluster randomized trial of 24 clusters of shops.