Implementation research addressing strategies to strengthen health systems for equitable high-quality care and health outcomes in the context of non-communicable diseases (GACD)

• Healthcare practitioners and providers in LMICs and in HICs serving disadvantaged groups gain access to tailored information and tools strengthening equitable, high-quality NCD care.
• Public health managers and authorities obtain robust evidence and insights to reduce care fragmentation, ensure continuity across prevention, risk reduction, diagnosis and management, and to develop policies that reduce health inequities.
• Researchers, clinicians and policymakers understand how to adopt and scale interventions in diverse LMIC and disadvantaged HIC settings, accounting for social, political, economic and cultural factors.
• Communities, local stakeholders and authorities are actively engaged in intervention delivery, leading to improved health outcomes, enhanced quality of life across the lifespan and extended healthy life expectancy among populations affected by NCDs.

• Focus on implementation of proven, evidence-based interventions for NCD prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, long-term management, integration of care, task-shifting or digital health.
• Justify intervention selection with existing data on effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, sustainability and scalability, and explain any local adaptations without compromising efficacy.
• Tailor interventions to specific social, political, economic and cultural contexts of the target LMIC or disadvantaged HIC population.
• Address all of the following mandatory activities: 1. Research plan using validated implementation research frameworks or hybrid designs. 2. Strategy to measure implementation outcomes and real-world effectiveness (including patient-important and UHC metrics). 3. Explicit framing of health equity and UHC principles. 4. Multidisciplinary consortium demonstrating equitable HIC–LMIC (and/or non-Indigenous–Indigenous) partnerships and clear governance. 5. Stakeholder engagement strategy with documented support from key partners for patient-centred care. 6. Plan for partner engagement to secure post-project sustainability. 7. Capacity-building for early career researchers from lower-resourced environments. 8. Meaningful involvement of early career co-investigators.
• Use appropriate study designs (feasibility studies, cluster-RCTs, before-after, hybrid trials) underpinned by an implementation framework.
• Design data collection and analysis to capture sex/gender and, where feasible, intersectional impacts on health outcomes.
• Incorporate Social Sciences and Humanities methods and expertise for enhanced societal impact.