Understanding early implementation of innovations in health professions education: AMEE Guide No. 196

It is essential to have information not only about the effectiveness of a health professions education (HPE) innovation, but also its early implementation in practice. This understanding can support educators and curriculum leaders to make decisions about its applicability and future implementation in another setting. Increasingly, implementation science (IS), with its focus on understanding the processes and contextual factors that influence the uptake of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice and health care systems, has been applied in HPE research to understand the early implementation of HPE innovations. This Guide provides a practical overview of how IS can help HPE researchers, educators, and curriculum leaders broaden the focus of their interest beyond the effectiveness of innovations to their early implementation and applicability in other settings.