EA4360, Université de Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France.
Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR 1219, Inserm, Université de Bordeaux, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 28;17(9):3069. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093069.
Many recommendations and innovative approaches are available for the development and evaluation of complex health interventions. We investigated the dimensions of complexity described in health research and how these descriptions may affect the adopted research methodology (e.g., the choice of designs and methods). We used a mixed method approach to review the scientific literature evaluating complex interventions in the health field. Of 438 articles identified, 179 were subjected to descriptive analysis and 48 to content analysis. The three principal dimensions of complexity were: stakeholder characteristics, intervention multimodality and context. Recognition of such dimensions influenced the methodological choices made during evaluation of the interventions with their use of designs and methods, which aimed to address the complexity. We analysed not only how researchers view complexity but also the effects of such views on researcher practices. Our results highlight the need for clarification of what complexity means and to consider complexity when deciding how to evaluate research interventions.
许多建议和创新方法可用于复杂健康干预措施的制定和评估。我们研究了健康研究中描述的复杂性维度，以及这些描述如何影响所采用的研究方法（例如设计和方法的选择）。我们采用混合方法回顾了评估卫生领域复杂干预措施的科学文献。在确定的 438 篇文章中，有 179 篇进行了描述性分析，48 篇进行了内容分析。复杂性的三个主要维度是：利益相关者特征、干预措施的多模态性和背景。认识到这些维度影响了评估干预措施时所做的方法选择，这些选择使用了旨在解决复杂性的设计和方法。我们不仅分析了研究人员如何看待复杂性，还分析了这种观点对研究人员实践的影响。我们的研究结果强调了有必要澄清复杂性的含义，并在决定如何评估研究干预措施时考虑复杂性。
