Neuroprotective Developmental Care or the Possums programs have been developed using implementation science

Here are the ways in which the principles of implementation science have been applied to develop the Possums programs over the past 25 years.

1. Clinical questions have been framed from my experience in the clinic as a general practitioner and breastfeeding medicine physician since 1987

2. Review of existing research studies to see what's available to answer these questions across multiple disciplines - medical sciences, lactation science, neuroscience, cross-cultural studies, evolutionary anthropology, social sciences

3. Analyses and interpretation of interdisciplinary research through the theoretical lenses of

   • Complexity science (you can read more here)

   • Evolutionary biology (you can read more here) and here

   • Generalist doctor's clinical experience (see below)

and published as meta-narrative reviews or systematic reviews in international research literature from 2005, often with the support of co-authors, in order to develop explicit, evidence-based theoretical models

4. Translation of these theoretical frameworks into

   • Ongoing improvements in clinical intervention and support offered to parents from 2000

   • Education programs for health professionals

   • The Possums programs for parents, including The Possums Sleep Program, the Possums 5-domain approach to unsettled babies, and Possums Breastfeeding & Lactation. These were similarly first delivered in 2011 in association with the Brisbane Possums Clinic.

5. Ongoing improvement of clinical translations in response to

   • Health professional feedback in education courses and evaluations

   • Parent feedback from the clinic and evaluations

   • Emerging evidence.

6. Publication of evaluations of both health professional and parent programs in research literature, demonstrating efficacy, available for you to peruse in the collection of research publications under the tab 'NDC evidence base' on this website.

Recommended resources

About the development of The Possums Baby and Toddler Sleep Program (from 2011 ongoing)

Evolutionary biology and cross-cultural studies tell us that infant sleep doesn't have to be hard (once you know how)

How have the steps of implementation science been used to develop The Possums Sleep Programs?

What is the Neuroprotective Developmental Care Contextual Model of Infant Sleep (NDC-MIS)?

The Neuroprotective Developmental Care Contextual Model of Infant Sleep (NDC-MIS) was translated into the Possums Sleep Programs with five evaluations showing effectiveness to date

Why The Possums Sleep Program is the original genuinely evidence-based revolution in baby and toddler sleep

Timeline of development of The Possums Sleep Program

Selected references

Lynch JM, Thomas HR, Askew DA, Sturman N. Holding the complex whole: generalist philosophy, priorities and practice that facilitates whole-person care. Australian Journal of General Practice. 2023;527:doi: 10.31128/AJGP-31101-31123-36686.

Moullin JC, Dickson KS, Stadnick NA, Albers B. Ten recommendations for using implementation frameworks in research and practice. Implementation Science Communications. 2020;1(42):https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-43020-00023-43057.

Wensing M, Grol R. Knowledge translation in health: how implementation science could contribute more. BMC Medicine. 2019;17(88).