What is realist evaluation?

What is realist evaluation? A frequent conundrum faced by nurses when implementing research findings and developing new interventions is that their patients, staff and sociocultural environment may be quite different from those in the original studies. Therefore, implementing and evaluating new interventions may need a carefully thought out and creative approach. One such approach is realist evaluation (RE). This paper will give an overview of RE and how this methodology can be used to support nurses when evaluating the implementation of evidence-based care. Characteristics of realist evaluation RE is a research methodology, otherwise known as a system of enquiry, that provides a framework for conducting an evaluation of a healthcare intervention.1 An RE approach enables researchers to develop theories about how their intervention works by asking ‘What works for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects, and how?’ (Pawson and Tilley, p2).2...
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Editor's choice, Research made simple Source Type: research