Israel should build capacity in implementation science

Background: Implementation Science (IS) is a scientific discipline that has been in existence for approximately thirty years. The goal of this discipline is to develop and refine rigorous approaches to producing change in the health system, and thereby to shrink the quality gap between best practice and current practice more quickly and more completely than could occur through naturalistic change alone. Main body: In this perspective, we review two prominent examples of health systems that invested in building capacity for IS– the Veterans Affairs Health System and Intermountain Healthcare in the United States– and how this investment has catalyzed system-level improvements over time. We make the case that Israel should similarly invest in building IS capacity. Conclusion: Investing in building IS capacity does not produce quick results, and is not easy. Nevertheless, a plan to build IS capacity should be an important ingredient in our plan to improve Israel’s health system over time.