Applying Implementation Science to Advance Integrated Care: A Practical Workshop in Partnership with the European Implementation Collaborative (EIC)

Background: Despite increasing investment in integrated health and social care, translating evidence and innovations into routine practice remains a significant challenge. Implementation Science (IS) offers theories, frameworks, and methods that can accelerate adoption, scale, and sustainability of integrated care innovations, yet this remains underutilized. Many integrated care leaders (policymakers, providers, researchers, and patient and community partners) lack practical guidance on applying theoretical insights to accelerate their local initiatives.

Aim: s and Objectives This interactive workshop will:

1.Introduce core concepts, frameworks, and methods from IS relevant to integrated health and social care.

2.Demonstrate how IS can address common implementation challenges (e.g., complexity, stakeholder engagement, adaptation, scale-up).

3.Introduce Normalization Process Theory (NPT) as a practical lens for diagnosing problems and designing solutions in participants’ own integrated care projects.

4.Build bridges between integrated care practitioners and implementation science communities through the partnership with the European Implementation Collaborative (EIC)

Format: The workshop will blend short presentations with hands-on activities. Using real-world case studies of integrated health and social care initiatives, participants will work in small groups to gain an understanding of what ‘implementation thinking’ can mean in their own settings (re the framework: I have had really good experiences using NPT for this kind of setting/task - but yes, whichever we choose, I think we should select one - but might not need to specify in the abstract yet?). Workshop facilitators will guide discussions, provide templates, and share resources to support ongoing application beyond the workshop.

Approach: This 60-minute workshop will blend concise expert input with hands-on application. After brief context-setting and conceptual foundations, we'll introduce NPT—a theory explaining how practices become embedded in routine care—with integrated care examples Participants will then spend 25 minutes in facilitated small groups applying NPT to a real integrated care case, identifying what makes implementation work stick (or fail).

Dr. Leah Buhrmann from the European Implementation Collaborative (EIC) alongside Implementation Scientist and IFIC Senior Associate Dr. Carolyn Steele Gray and Primary Care Sociologist Dr. Sibyl Anthierens will facilitate this session; offering expertise and examples to help guide groups reflection and invite rapid group feedback to consolidate learning and support translation into participants’ local contexts.

Overview: Introduction: (5 min); Why theory matters: Implementation Science Foundations (10 minutes); Normalization Process Theory for Integrated Care transformation (10 minutes); Small group case application (25 minutes); Collective learning & takeaways (10 minutes)

Target Audience: Researchers, policymakers, clinicians, patient partners, and managers seeking practical frameworks to strengthen integrated care implementation and evaluation.

Expected Outcomes: Participants will leave with:

• A working knowledge of IS concepts applicable to integrated care.
• Practical tools and templates for planning and evaluating implementation efforts.
• Connection to implementation science expertise and peer learning networks.