Infuse Infuse 9 September 2019 | Page 24

ADVERTORIAL
Supported by Nestlé Health Science
Making it Easier
to Translate
Research into
Practice
by Adrienne Young, Assoc Professor and Advanced APD,
Research Coordinator, Nutrition and Dietetics RBWH
Have you ever tried to
implement an evidence-
based change in your
practice? How'd it go?
If you saw short-term changes before things
returned to the status quo, or the successful
uptake of only some parts of your intervention
– you’re not alone.
Let me share an example of failed
implementation from my practice. This
involved implementing “red trays” to solve
the problem of poor mealtime assistance.
I did all the usual things – consulted with
stakeholders, redesigned processes to ensure
the trays were ordered and delivered to the
right patients, enlisted nursing champions,
and provided education to all staff groups
involved. But I saw no change in mealtime
care for my patients when red trays
were used.
© Dietitian Connection
Implementing practice change is hard;
especially when it involves behavior and
systems changes in complex adaptive
systems like hospitals and health
services. The emerging research field of
implementation science tells us that using
implementation theories, models and
frameworks can increase our likelihood
of success, but navigating the jargon and
theory can be mind boggling to clinicians
and novice implementers.
article continues overleaf...
24
Infuse | September 2019