Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, 5858 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Suite 300, Montréal, Québec, H3S 1Z1, Canada.
Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, 5858 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Suite 300, Montréal, Québec, H3S 1Z1, Canada.
J Clin Epidemiol. 2019 Jul;111:49-59.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.03.008. Epub 2019 Mar 22.
The mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) was developed for critically appraising different study designs. This study aimed to improve the content validity of three of the five categories of studies in the MMAT by identifying relevant methodological criteria for appraising the quality of qualitative, survey, and mixed methods studies.
First, we performed a literature review to identify critical appraisal tools and extract methodological criteria. Second, we conducted a two-round modified e-Delphi technique. We asked three method-specific panels of experts to rate the relevance of each criterion on a five-point Likert scale.
A total of 383 criteria were extracted from 18 critical appraisal tools and a literature review on the quality of mixed methods studies, and 60 were retained. In the first and second rounds of the e-Delphi, 73 and 56 experts participated, respectively. Consensus was reached for six qualitative criteria, eight survey criteria, and seven mixed methods criteria. These results led to modifications of eight of the 11 MMAT (version 2011) criteria. Specifically, we reformulated two criteria, replaced four, and removed two. Moreover, we added six new criteria.
Results of this study led to improve the content validity of this tool, revise it, and propose a new version (MMAT version 2018).
混合方法评价工具（MMAT）是为批判性评价不同研究设计而开发的。本研究旨在通过确定定性研究、调查研究和混合方法研究质量评价的相关方法标准，提高 MMAT 中五个类别中的三个类别的内容效度。
首先，我们进行了文献回顾，以确定评价工具并提取方法标准。其次，我们进行了两轮改良版德尔菲技术。我们要求三个特定方法的专家小组对每个标准的相关性进行五分制李克特量表评分。
从 18 种混合方法研究质量的评价工具和文献综述中提取了 383 条标准，其中 60 条被保留。在德尔菲技术的第一和第二轮中，分别有 73 名和 56 名专家参与。对于 6 个定性标准、8 个调查标准和 7 个混合方法标准达成了共识。这些结果导致对 MMAT（2011 版）的 11 个标准中的 8 个进行了修改。具体来说，我们重新制定了两个标准，替换了四个标准，并删除了两个标准。此外，我们还增加了六个新的标准。
本研究的结果提高了该工具的内容效度，对其进行了修订，并提出了一个新版本（2018 年 MMAT 版）。
