Supporting replication and scale-up of evidence-based home visiting programs: assessing the implementation knowledge base.

Abstract

In recent years, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners have expressed a growing interest in the use of interventions with scientific evidence of effectiveness. Reproducing positive effects shown in research, however, requires more than simply adopting an evidence-based program. There is growing recognition across disciplines of the importance of implementation research to guide adoption, replication, and scale-up of evidence-based interventions. We evaluate the state of the knowledge base supporting replication and scale-up of evidence-based programs by reviewing information on implementation included in the research literature on 22 home visiting programs that have or are building an evidence base. We used the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation to assess programs.