Effectiveness, transportability, and dissemination of interventions: What matters when?

The authors identify and define key aspects of the progression from researc h on the efficacy of a new intervention to its dissemination. They highligh t the role of transportability questions that arise in that progression and illustrate key conceptual and design features that differentiate efficacy, effectiveness, and dissemination research. An ongoing study of the transpo rtability of multisystemic therapy is used to illustrate independent and in terdependent aspects of effectiveness, transportability; and dissemination studies. Variables relevant to the progression from treatment efficacy to d issemination include features of the intervention itself as well as variabl es pertaining to the practitioner, client, model of service delivery, organ ization, and service system. The authors provide examples of how some of th ese variables are relevant to the transportability of different types of in terventions. They also discuss sample research questions, study designs, an d challenges to be anticipated in the arena of transportability research.