Methodologic issues in intervention research--health care.

To better understand the methodological challenges faced by intervention research in health care, workshops reviewed two intervention studies to reduce back injuries among nursing home staff and two studies on the use of precautions to prevent occupational transmission of bloodborne pathogens. These studies adapted rigorous designs to real-world settings and made good use of multiple measures to detect effects and communicate this information to policy makers. The studies grappled with issues about implementation integrity and would benefit from better theory of administrative practices associated with a safety-conscious work environment.