Collaboratively Applying Implementation Science Principles in Real-World Practice

This workshop will show participants how to apply implementation science principles in implementation practice. The first part of the workshop will be led by Dr. Gabrielle Zimmermann, a specialist in implementation science with the Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit Learning Health System Team. Dr. Zimmerman will describe a project she has undertaken to synthesize implementation guidance from the field of implementation science into a practical, functional guide for provincial teams leading implementation initiatives in the Alberta healthcare system. Topics covered will include key elements of successful implementation and user-friendly tools and resources. Dr. Rhyann McKay will then introduce her work as a Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Health System Impact Post-Doctoral Fellow working with Alberta Health Services’ Acute Care Bundle Improvement initiative. Dr. McKay will describe how to make high-level implementation guidance, including recommended tools and resources, workable in the real-world. Topics covered will include the language of implementation and using co-design approaches to design implementation activities that integrate theory and practice to local contexts. Short activities will be scattered throughout Dr. Zimmermann’s and Dr. McKay’s presentations. The final portion of the workshop will center on an activity that will have workshop participants apply concepts shared in the workshop by partnering with others to co-design implementation planning and activities.