Griffiths, Sarah;
Wheat, Hannah;
Morgan-Trimmer, Sarah;
Weston, Lauren;
Gude, Alex;
Oh, Tomasina M;
Sheaff, Rod;
(2025)
Using a Realist Informed Qualitative Approach to Elaborate Programme Theory: Experiences From the Feasibility Phase of the D-PACT Project.
International Journal of Qualitative Methods
, 24
, Article 16094069251370659. 10.1177/16094069251370659.
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Abstract
Realist approaches to complex health care evaluations are increasingly used and recommended in national evaluation guidelines. However, there remains a paucity of researcher guidance on methods for elaborating and refining programme theories throughout the stages of a realist evaluation project—from prospective theory development to feasibility work, to full evaluation. We present a step by step worked example of a realist approach to elaborating a programme theory for a health care intervention during the feasibility phase of the Dementia PersonAlised care Team. We explain how multiple qualitative methods can be applied to elaborate initial theory, supporting a shift away from a hypothetical explanation, towards a theory of how the model works in practice. We reflect on what worked well, and problems encountered, attending to both processes and the impact of working. Details are provided on how this approach can help enhance the likelihood of the intervention working in practice—through the application of new insights to interventionists’ training resources. We argue that coding to a framework constructed of ’If-Then’ initial programme theory statements enabled researchers to develop a realist analytic mindset and elaborated programme theory, ready for a fuller evaluation of the D-PACT intervention.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Using a Realist Informed Qualitative Approach to Elaborate Programme Theory: Experiences From the Feasibility Phase of the D-PACT Project |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1177/16094069251370659 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069251370659 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Creative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/ open-access-at-sage). |
| Keywords: | dementia, realist evaluation, qualitative, feasibility, programme theory |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10213347 |
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