Key Takeaways

  • RE-AIM, which stands for Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance, is a framework that can help inform decision-making on evidence-based programs.

  • The overall goal of the RE-AIM framework: to encourage more attention be paid to essential program elements that can improve the sustainable adoption and implementation of effective, evidence-based health promotion programs.

  • Read this overview and applications guide to learn more about the RE-AIM framework and how to apply it in your work.

RE-AIM is an evolving framework designed to inform program decision-making by focusing on:

  • Reach
  • Effectiveness
  • Adoption
  • Implementation
  • Maintenance

These five elements are essential for service providers and decision-makers to consider when selecting an evidence-based health promotion program, or when making choices among alternative programs.

As this overview document explains, RE-AIM was originally developed as a framework for consistent reporting of research results and later used to organize reviews of the existing literature on health promotion and disease prevention in different settings. RE-AIM has been used to:

  • Help plan programs and improve their chances of working in “real-world” settings 
  • Understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to health promotion and chronic disease self-management—such as in-person counseling, group education classes, telephone counseling, and internet resources

The overall goal of the RE-AIM framework is to encourage program planners, evaluators, readers of journal articles, funders, and policy-makers to pay more attention to essential program elements that can improve the sustainable adoption and implementation of effective, evidence-based health promotion programs.

RE-AIM for Program Planning: Overview and Applications

RE-AIM and behavioral health

The RE-AIM framework has been applied to many evidence-based interventions, including those aiming to support behavioral health for older adults.

This issue brief from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration on Aging explains RE-AIM scenarios to improve behavioral health, including a state initiative to reduce depression and a local initiative to reduce risky use of alcohol and psychoactive medications among older adults. 

Using the RE-Aim Implementation Framework to Improve Behavioral Health