Full Comprehension of Theories, Models, and Frameworks Improves Application: A Focus on RE-AIM.

Two decades after the introduction of the RE-AIM Framework (1), its utility for intervention planning and evaluation remains as relevant as ever. Applied widely across time, space, and discipline, RE-AIM has become a “household name” among researchers, practitioners, and government officials. For the last 20 years, this framework has structured funding initiatives, course curricula and trainings, and community and clinical efforts. RE-AIM has also been the focus of hundreds of published studies. However, despite RE-AIM's operationalized core elements and mainstream presence in research and practice communities (2), misconceptions about its application persist (3–5). Although RE-AIM was developed as a planning and evaluation framework, it is often inappropriately viewed narrowly for evaluation use only. Although its use for evaluation is valuable and highly recommended, the versatility of the RE-AIM framework is diminished when only envisioned for a single purpose. This article promotes the need for full comprehension of the framework to ensure it is appropriately used for its range of utility. Further, it encourages researchers and practitioners to proactively access the vast collection of RE-AIM resources in anticipation of potential challenges, disruptions, and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.