The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)

Despite the proliferation of syntheses about the effectiveness of clinical and implementation interventions, knowledge remains limited about essential contextual features affecting application of these interventions. Experts in syntheses of innovations have repeatedly highlighted the need to identify contextual factors that affect implementation outcomes. This chapter describes the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which was designed with the aim of creating a ‘one-stop shop’ for clearly labelled and defined theoretical constructs by which to describe contextual factors that may hinder or facilitate implementation efforts. The CFIR includes more than three dozen constructs, organised across five domains. It was designed for use in health care delivery settings but has been applied in many fields outside health care. Use of the CFIR in implementation science continues to grow, and its value lies in increasingly comprehensive reports of deep and meaningful use to prospectively guide implementations with recommendations for improvement and refinement.