What does it mean to say that Neuroprotective Developmental Care or the Possums programs have been developed using implementation science?

How implementation science has been applied in the development of NDC or the Possums programs

Here are the ways in which implementation science has been used to develop the Possums programs.

1. Clinical questions were framed from my experience in the clinic as a breastfeeding medicine physican and GP 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 intepretation 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, in order to develop evidence-based and explicit 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 and the Possums 5-domain approach to unsettled babies. These were similarly first delivered in 2011 in association with the Brisbane Possums Clinic.

5. Ongoing iterative translation of evidence into the NDC or Possums educational programs, developed in response to

   • Health professional feedback in education courses and pilot evaluations

   • Parent feedback from clinic and pilot valuations

   • Emerging evidence.

6. Evaluations of both health professional and parent programs in research publications, demonstrating efficacy, which are available in the collections of NDC evidence-base research publications.

About development of NDC or the Possums programs

In Video 1 above, I discuss the development of Neuroprotective Developmental Care or the Possums programs since the late 1990s.

In Video 2 above, I discuss the lenses through which I have analysed, integrated and translated interdisciplinary research literature to create the NDC or Possums programs.

In Video 3 above, I expand on these lenses and how my clinical experiences shaped my lenses. You can find about Dr Johanna Lynch's article about generalism here.

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).