Abstract

Background:

Delivery of high quality, at-scale, and sustained services is a major challenge in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector, made more challenging by a dearth of evidence-based models for adaption across contexts in low- and middle-income countries.

Objective:

We aim to describe the value of implementation science (IS) for the WASH sector and provide recommendations for its application.

Methods:

We review concepts from the growing field of IS—defined as the “scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of research findings and other evidence-based practices into routine practice, and hence, to improve the quality and effectiveness of health services”—and we translate their relevance to WASH research, learning, and delivery.

Discussion:

IS provides a suite of methods and theories to systematically develop, evaluate, and scale evidence-based interventions. Though IS thinking has been applied most notably in health services delivery in high-income countries, there have been applications in low-income settings in fields such as HIV/AIDS and nutrition. Expanding the application of IS to environmental health, specifically WASH interventions, would respond to the complexity of sustainable service delivery. WASH researchers may want to consider applying IS guidelines to their work, including adapting pragmatic research models, using established IS frameworks, and cocreating knowledge with local stakeholders. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7762

中文翻译：

---

实施科学在水、环境卫生和卫生 (WASH) 研究和实践中的应用

摘要

背景：

提供高质量、大规模和持续的服务是水、环境卫生和个人卫生 (WASH) 部门的一项重大挑战，由于缺乏循证模型来适应中低端环境，因此更具挑战性收入国家。

客观的：

我们旨在描述实施科学 (IS) 对 WASH 部门的价值，并为其应用提供建议。

方法：

我们回顾了来自不断发展的 IS 领域的概念——定义为“对方法的科学研究，以促进将研究结果和其他循证实践系统地采用到常规实践中，从而提高卫生服务的质量和有效性”——我们将它们转化为 WASH 研究、学习和交付的相关性。

讨论：

IS 提供了一套方法和理论来系统地开发、评估和衡量基于证据的干预措施。尽管信息系统思维在高收入国家的卫生服务提供中最为显着，但在低收入环境中的艾滋病毒/艾滋病和营养等领域也有应用。将 IS 的应用扩展到环境健康，特别是 WASH 干预措施，将应对可持续服务提供的复杂性。WASH 研究人员可能希望考虑将 IS 指南应用于他们的工作，包括调整务实的研究模型、使用已建立的 IS 框架以及与当地利益相关者共同创造知识。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7762