Implementation Science and Pediatric Diabetes: A Scoping Review of the State of the Literature and Recommendations for Future Research

• Published in: Current diabetes reports Vol. 25; no. 1; p. 2
• Main Authors: Price, Julia, Hawkins, Jaclynn, Amante, Daniel J., James, Richard, Haire-Joshu, Debra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Child; Children & youth; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - therapy; Education; Evidence-Based Practice; Humans; Implementation Science; Jargon; Medical libraries; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental health; Pediatrics; Pediatrics - methods; Review; Science; Topical Collection on Psychosocial Aspects; Diabetes; Evidence-based care; Pediatric; Implementation science
• ISSN: 1534-4827; 1539-0829; 1539-0829
• DOI: 10.1007/s11892-024-01561-3

Purpose of Review
This scoping review aimed to identify implementation science (IS) research in pediatric diabetes, report integration of IS theory and terminology, and offer guidance for future research.
Recent Findings
Of 23 papers identified, 19 were published since 2017 and 21 focused on type 1 diabetes. Most involved medical evidence-based practices (EBPs;
n
 = 15), whereas fewer focused on psychosocial (
n
 = 7) and diabetes education (
n
 = 2). The majority either identified barriers and facilitators of implementing an EBP (
n
 = 11) or were implementation trials (
n
 = 11). Fewer studies documented gaps in EBP implementation in standard care (
n
 = 7) or development of implementation strategies (
n
 = 1). Five papers employed IS theories and two aimed to improve equity.
Summary
There is a paucity of IS research in pediatric diabetes care literature. Few papers employed IS theory, used consistent IS terminology, or described IS strategies or outcomes. Guidance for future research to improve IS research in pediatric diabetes is offered.