Conducting Implementation Research in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Case Example and Considerations for Study Design

Abstract

As neurorehabilitation research continues to grow, the field must ensure its scientific discoveries are implemented into routine clinical care. Without targeted efforts to increase the implementation of evidence into practice, patients may never see the benefits of interventions, assessments, and technologies developed in the confines of empirical studies. This article serves as a response to Lynch et al’s 2018 Point of View piece in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair that underscored the urgent need for implementation studies to expedite the application of neurorehabilitation evidence in practice. To address this need, we provide the following 4 considerations investigators should contemplate when designing their own studies at the intersection of implementation and neurorehabilitation research: (a) consideration of guiding theories, models, and frameworks, (b) consideration of implementation strategies, (c) considerations of target outcomes, and (d) consideration of hybrid effectiveness-implementation designs. To conclude, we also provide a study exemplar to depict how these considerations can be integrated into the neurorehabilitation research field to narrow the evidence-to-practice gap.