Dissemination and implementation research in a global context

The value and challenges associated with participatory research are intensified for lower and middle-income countries because of the geographic distance between the primary research team and research setting, the limited resources and infrastructure for health, and the linguistic and cultural diversity of the residents. Dissemination and implementation research is ideally suited to improve health for populations in lower and middle-income countries because the emphasis on local context contributes to building trust between local stakeholders and researchers, and leverages emergent ideas for solutions to local problems. Moreover, the products of dissemination and implementation research include practical information to improve use of evidence-based practices in local settings and generalizable knowledge to advance science.