{
  "abstract": "Implementation science (IS) is gaining recognition for its role in enhancing health outcomes by connecting research evidence with practical application. However, most IS frameworks have been developed in high-income countries (HICs), raising concerns about their applicability, fairness, and sustainability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In LMICs, which are home to over 75% of the global population, implementation challenges are influenced by unique social, cultural, geopolitical, and health system factors. This context reflects both opportunities and disparities in current IS models, such as dependence on external funding, lack of understanding and utilization of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice, and the underrepresentation of local knowledge holders/researchers as inventors. This critical review underscores the urgent need to decolonize and redefine IS in LMICs or Global South. We propose the Building Bridges framework encompassing advancing equitable and decolonized IS as foundational principle and four key pillars, including localizing and adapting IS frameworks, shifting power to LMICs leadership, equitable collaboration, capacity building, reforming funding agencies, and diversifying review panels, to foster a more just and locally relevant IS agenda. By prioritizing local leadership and valuing diverse knowledge systems, IS can reshape the local health landscape by embedding community-led decision-making and privileging locally grounded evidence based on lived experience, cultural practices, and relational worldviews, crucial for driving equitable, resilient, and sustainable health solutions in LMICs.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia",
    "School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia",
    "Department of Infection and Immunology, Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), Kathmandu, Nepal",
    "Department of Microbiology, Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal",
    "National Institute of Bio-Science and Research Center (NIBARC), Kirtipur, Nepal",
    "Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States of America"
  ],
  "article_type": "Review",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Binod Rayamajhee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gopiram Syangtan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bhupendra Lama"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Saruna Ghimire"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Brian Oldenburg"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Uday Narayan Yadav"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4dd5e75m1z5w8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pgph.0006155",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006155",
  "id": "4dd5e75m1z5w8",
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  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3600|Health Policy Implementation Science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Economic geography/Low and middle income countries"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Sustainability science"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health care policy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Health care policy/Health systems strengthening"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Noncommunicable diseases"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Global health"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Science policy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Economics/Economic geography/Low and middle income countries"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Culture"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213287012",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006155&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4dd5e75m1z5w8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pgph.0006155",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006155"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:global health",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Building Bridges: A framework for redefining and decolonizing implementation science in low- and middle-income countries",
  "title_text": "Building Bridges: A framework for redefining and decolonizing implementation science in low- and middle-income countries",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4dd5e75m1z5w8",
  "venue": "PLOS Global Public Health",
  "versions": []
}