Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions

Description:

This in-person three day course will provide participants with an understanding of the complex intervention research process. Presentations and activities will relate to the main concepts of developing/identifying and evaluating complex interventions and support participants to apply the principles to their own research. It will focus on the overarching considerations required to develop complex intervention research projects, rather than the details of study design, and enable researchers to develop and conduct research that will provide the most useful evidence for decision making. The course will be structured around the MRC/NIHR Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions. There will be a mix of lectures and small group activities to put learning into practice. 

The course covers: 

• Introduction to using the Framework

• Developing and identifying interventions

• Feasibility research

• Evaluation research

• Implementation & round up

Course timetable:

The course takes place on 6th, 7th & 8th May 2025 between 10am - 4pm each day.

By the end of day 1 participants will:

• Have an overview of the journey through complex intervention research.
• Have an awareness of the challenges and limitations of complex intervention research.
• Understand how to approach complex intervention research & the key overarching considerations.
• Begin to see how you can apply the framework to your own complex intervention research.
• Understand what resources/steps to use in developing a complex intervention
• Know how to take forward an ‘identified’ intervention
• Know how to develop a programme theory and make use of it throughout the research process
• Be aware of key issues to consider for the implementation of complex interventions

By the end of day 2, participants will: 

• Understand what feasibility studies are and why they are important ​
• Have learned how to approach designing a feasibility study​
• Have learned how the core elements can be applied at this stage ​
• Understand how feasibility study findings can inform decision about next steps​
• Be able to consider what complexity means for the evaluation of interventions
• Understand that a focus on usefulness of evidence requires methodological pluralism
• Have some understanding of how to choose between evaluation approaches
• Have an understanding of the six key considerations (core elements of the framework) at the evaluation stage
• Have an understanding of what economic evaluation is and why we do it
• Have an understanding of key methods/different types of economic evaluation

By the end of day 3, participants will: 

• Be aware of framework checklist and how it can be applied
• Understand the importance of considering Implementation throughout the phases of the framework and specifically at the Implementation Phase
• Review and reinforce the key motivations and innovations of the new framework
• Be aware of research questions and methods particularly relevant to a systems perspective
• Have the opportunity to raise questions to reinforce learning and fill gaps.

Pre-requisites:

Participants should be familiar with the process of intervention development and evaluation, with some experience in intervention research.

No software or sign up required.

Essential reading: 

Skivington, Matthews, Simpson et al (2021). A new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions: update of Medical Research Council guidance BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2061 (Published 30 September 2021).

Presenters:

Andy Baxter works at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit as a research assistant, investigating the effects of the Universal Credit rollout on mental health. He recently completed his PhD, looking at the evaluation of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and its contribution to declining teenage pregnancy rates. Alongside this, he has also contributed to teaching on the MSc courses at the University of Glasgow, and to piloting and developing a transferrable course template with a team of international academics.

Kathryn Skivington has been working in social and public health for over 10 years. Some of that has been spent evaluating, or attempting to evaluate 'complex interventions' (e.g. in primary care, welfare reform, sickness absence), as well as current projects taking a systems approach to intervention development. She was involved in developing & writing the recently published MRC/NIHR Framework on Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions. She also contributes to teaching on masters level course on Evaluation Design and Improving Health and Society at the University of Glasgow.

Lynsay Matthews has been working on a range of health-related research for 12 years. She was involved in the recent update for the MRC/NIHR Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions. She has recently moved to the University of the West of Scotland, where she is a lecturer in Public Health, and continuing her research interests in Women's Health. 

Laurence Moore has been evaluating public health interventions since 1992 using a whole range of methods and seen a huge expansion and development in public health intervention research over that period. Co-author of MRC Process evaluation guidance, the recent MRC Framework update and papers calling for more use of systems interventions and methods. Has been on a range of funding committees including for NIHR and MRC. Has set up and led short courses in randomised trials (Bristol) and developing complex interventions (DECIPHer).

Sharon Simpson has focussed her research on the development and evaluation of complex interventions in health for over 25 years. Her main areas of interest are health behaviours and also mental health. She was part of the team who led the development of the new MRC/NIHR framework, and is co-lead for a research programme on complexity in health.

Peter Craig co-leads a programme of research on Inequalities and Health at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, having previously worked in central government as a research manager. His research interests are in the health impacts of social protection programmes in high and low-middle income countries. He contributed to the recent update of the MRC/NIHR framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions, and has been involved in producing several other pieces of guidance, including on the use of natural experiments, reporting of public health policy interventions and on taking account of context in the evaluation of population health interventions.

Kathleen Boyd is a Reader in Health Economics with the Health Economics for Health Technology Assessment (HEHTA) group and Director of Research for the School of Health and Wellbeing at University of Glasgow. She leads the Economic Evaluation alongside Clinical Trials research theme within HEHTA and holds various research grants, undertaking economic evaluations within a wide variety of health care areas. Her research expertise is in trial design, analysis of economic evaluations alongside clinical trials, incorporating decision modelling and economic evaluations of complex and public health interventions. Kathleen is a co-author on the recent update of the MRC/NIHR Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions.

Neil Craig leads the Evaluation, Evidence for Action and Public Health Observatory teams in Public Health Scotland. The teams work directly with Scottish Government and other stakeholders to design, execute and/or commission evaluation, research and analysis; and to disseminate findings to inform policy and practice. Neil also has an Honorary Professorship in Public Health at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, Glasgow Caledonian University. He has previously worked as an economist in Scottish Government and health authorities in Scotland and England, as well as at the University of Glasgow, where he co-ordinated the MSc in Public Health and carried out health economics teaching and research.

Cost:

The fee per teaching day is £60 per day for students / £150 per day for staff working for academic institutions, Research Councils and other recognised research institutions, registered charity organisations and the public sector / £350 per day for all other participants.

In the event of cancellation by the delegate a full refund of the course fee is available up to two weeks prior to the course. NO refunds are available after this date.

If it is no longer possible to run a course due to circumstances beyond its control, NCRM reserves the right to cancel the course at its sole discretion at any time prior to the event. In this event every effort will be made to reschedule the course. If this is not possible or the new date is inconvenient a full refund of the course fee will be given. NCRM shall not be liable for any costs, losses or expenses that may be incurred as a result of its cancellation of a course, including but not limited to any travel or accommodation costs. The University of Southampton’s Online Store T&Cs also continue to apply.

Website and registration:

Region:

Scotland

Keywords:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs, Evaluation Research, Frameworks for Research and Research Designs (other), Research Management and Impact, Intervention development research, Feasibility research, Complex intervention research

Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs
Evaluation Research
Frameworks for Research and Research Designs (other)
Research Management and Impact

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