The Role of Implementation Science in Improving Equity in OB Care

Many gaps exist between the generation of evidence and the effective and equitable uptake of research findings into routine obstetric care. In this podcast from the SMFM Research Committee, Dr. Lynn Yee interviews Dr. Rebecca Hamm about the use of implementation science in obstetric research. Implementation science is the study of methods to promote the uptake of research findings and other evidence-based practices into routine practice, and, hence, to improve the quality and effectiveness of health services. In this interview, Dr. Hamm introduces the concept of implementation science and discusses why it is relevant to improving equity in obstetric care. For more resources, please see:

• Brownson RC, Colditz GA, Proctor EK.  Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health: Translating Science into Practice (2nd ed). New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2017.
• Bauer M, Damschroder L, Hagedorn H, Smith J, Kilbourne A. An Introduction to Implementation Science for the Non-Specialist. BMC Psychology. 2015;3(32):1-12. 
• Tabak RG, Khong EC, Chambers DA, Brownson RC. Bridging Research and Practice: Models for Dissemination and Implementation Research. Am J Prev Med. 2012;43:337-350.