Definitions of implementation science in HIV/AIDS

The availability of resources to combat HIV worldwide has motivated a new generation of scientific questions: how can we optimise the implementation of evidence-based interventions in diverse real-world social, cultural, economic, geographical, and health-systems settings? However, little consensus exists about the boundaries of inquiry that qualify as implementation science or implementation research. 1 Remme JHF Adam T Becerra-Posada F et al. Defining research to improve health systems. PLoS Med. 2010; 7: e1001000 Crossref PubMed Scopus (132) Google Scholar , 2 Allotey P Reidpath DD Ghalib H Pagnoni F Skelly WC Efficacious, effective, and embedded interventions: implementation research in infectious disease control. BMC Public Health. 2008; 8: 343 Crossref PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar At the request of the WHO HIV Department, we did a review of definitions as used in the HIV/AIDS scientific literature to identify a synthetic working definition. The resulting definition helped to facilitate dialogue at the Third Strategic Use of Antiretrovirals for Treatment and Prevention of HIV Infection meeting in February, 2014.