Using the RE-AIM framework to guide the implementation and evaluation of interventions for children with communication disorders

Clinical decisions in speech-language pathology practice are ideally informed by experimental evidence, with the randomised controlled trial considered the ‘pinnacle’ of best available evidence for new interventions. Although tightly controlled experimental studies are valuable, they do not necessarily provide guidance on how interventions should be implemented in routine practice. Implementation science emerged out of a need to close the gap between research and practice. In this article we describe how Russell Glasgow and colleagues’ RE-AIM framework could be used to plan and evaluate intervention implementation. Drawing on a hypothetical clinical scenario about a team of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) seeking to implement a program for late talking toddlers, we explore the type of information and issues SLPs need to consider to ensure optimal reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of an intervention in clinical practice.