What does 'following the guidance mean in an era of increasingly pluralistic guidance for the development, evaluation and implementation of interventions?

Guidance for intervention research in public health, health services and beyond, has evolved rapidly since the turn of the century. To take UK Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance for developing and evaluating complex interventions as an example, this began in 20001 with guidance for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of complex interventions. This guidance followed a linear sequence from intervention theory towards a goal of demonstrating whether an intervention ‘worked’, and then, whether and how to implement more widely. An updated version, published in 2008,2 reflected a number of shifts in thinking. The RCT was still considered the most robust evaluation design in many cases, but the new guidance recognised that for many important interventions, RCTs are infeasible. It introduced a focus on process evaluation, recognising that while estimating effects is important, it is of limited value if we do not also know what was implemented...
Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research