Synthesising quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform guidelines on complex interventions: clarifying the purposes, designs and outlining some methods

Noyes, Jane; Booth, Andrew; Moore, Graham; Flemming, Kate; Tunçalp, Özge; Shakibazadeh, Elham

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000893

Cited by 303 publications

(293 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…LG conducted the evidence synthesis following WHO guidelines 31 32. We used an integrated design,33 in which qualitative and quantitative study results were analysed together.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting women’s and children’s health through community groups in low-income and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods systematic review of mechanisms, enablers and barriers

et al. 2019

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IntroductionCommunity mobilisation through group activities has been used to improve women’s and children’s health in a range of low-income and middle-income contexts, but the mechanisms through which it works deserve greater consideration. We did a mixed-methods systematic review of mechanisms, enablers and barriers to the promotion of women’s and children’s health in community mobilisation interventions.MethodsWe searched for theoretical and empirical peer-reviewed articles between January 2000 and November 2018. First, we extracted and collated proposed mechanisms, enablers and barriers into categories. Second, we extracted and synthesised evidence for them using narrative synthesis. We assessed risk of bias with adapted Downs and Black and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklists. We assigned confidence grades to each proposed mechanism, enabler and barrier.Results78 articles met the inclusion criteria, of which 39 described interventions based on a participatory group education model, 19 described community-led structural interventions to promote sexual health in marginalised populations and 20 concerned other types of intervention or multiple interventions at once. We did not have high confidence in any mechanism, enabler or barrier. Two out of 15 proposed mechanisms and 10 out of 12 proposed enablers and barriers reached medium confidence. A few studies provided direct evidence relating proposed mechanisms, enablers or barriers to health behaviours or health outcomes. Only two studies presented mediation or interaction analysis for a proposed mechanism, enabler or barrier.ConclusionWe uncovered multiple proposed mechanisms, enablers and barriers to health promotion through community groups, but much work remains to provide a robust evidence base for proposed mechanisms, enablers and barriers.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018093695.

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“…LG conducted the evidence synthesis following WHO guidelines 31 32. We used an integrated design,33 in which qualitative and quantitative study results were analysed together.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting women’s and children’s health through community groups in low-income and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods systematic review of mechanisms, enablers and barriers

et al. 2019

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“…Data were extracted on country, study aim, design, sample characteristics, study method, key findings and recommendations. The synthesis of the mixed methods research literature was conducted as part of the systematic review process [ 33 ]. The data were thematically analysed to identify the emergent themes across the included studies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Design, Content and Delivery of Relationship and Sexuality Education Programmes for People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the International Evidence

Brown

McCann

Truesdale

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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There is growing empirical evidence regarding the relationship and sexuality experiences and needs of children, young people and adults with intellectual disabilities. A total of twelve papers met the inclusion criteria regarding relationship and sexuality education (RSE) programmes specific to the needs of this population. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and quality appraisal undertaken. The four themes identified were principles informing RSE programme development, design and content of RSE programmes, delivery of RSE programmes and evaluation of RSE programmes. The discussion presents areas that need to be addressed to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities, their families, carers and professionals are fully involved in the design and delivery of RSE programmes. Further research is required to identify the impact of the programmes and the sustained outcomes achieved. Recommendations are made regarding the activities required to enable the development of evidence-based and person-centred approaches to relationship and sexuality programmes.

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“…Three deviations from Dixon-Woods et al's description of CIS were employed. The first was a 'resultsbased convergent synthesis' design (20), meaning that the statistical and qualitative studies were initially examined separately. The second was the use of thematic synthesis methods to identify 'data-driven' themes arising directly from the evidence base (21).…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To begin the 'results-based convergent synthesis' (20), separate tables summarising the characteristics and findings of the quantitative and qualitative studies were created. For the quantitative studies, this relayed the article's title, the details of its sample, and summaries of its relevant variables, statistical methods, and results (additional file 2).…”

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confidence: 99%

Men and loneliness in the ‘west’: A critical interpretive synthesis

Ratcliffe

Galdas

Kanaan

2020

Preprint

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BackgroundLoneliness has received considerable attention in recent years, but has seldom been investigated through a gendered lens. This review aims to critically summarise research substantively related to men and loneliness.MethodA critical interpretive synthesis, incorporating a pre-defined search strategy, was employed to analyse a broad variety of data. The searches were conducted in July 2019, across seven databases: MEDLINE; PsycINFO; Scopus, ASSIA, SSCI; Sociological Abstracts; and Social Policy and Practice. Included studies were written in English, conducted in high income nations in Western Europe, North America, and Australasia, with no date limitations. Qualitative studies required a substantive focus on sex/men or gender/masculinities and loneliness, and quantitative studies either an explicit focus on sex differences in loneliness, or data substantially relevant to loneliness and men. Seventy-nine studies met the inclusion criteria.ResultsSeven ‘synthetic constructs’ were built: i) men’s loneliness appears more associated with their social network; ii) men may be less emotionally forthright, thus both less inclined to discuss loneliness and less likely to form meaningful relationships; iii) romantic relationships may be more important for preventing loneliness in men; iv) different measurements of loneliness do not show the same sex differences in the prevalence of loneliness; v) lonely men may be more likely to engage in risky/unhealthy behaviour; vi) feeling/being ‘insufficiently masculine’ can result in loneliness; and vii) intersections of identity facilitate different gendered results.ConclusionThese constructs offer a framework that can help inform interventions aimed at preventing/alleviating loneliness in men, and a foundation for future research. Overcoming men’s emotional reticence, and facilitating better quality social networks, appeared critical goals for interventions. Men’s emotional reticence may constitute both a barrier to discussing loneliness, and to forming loneliness preventing relationships. It also appeared to be characterised either by the construction of a masculine persona, or a fear of the repercussions for initiating intimate conversation. When attempting to ascertain whether a man is lonely, acknowledging gendered variation in survey responses is required. However, it is unclear how generalisable these ‘synthetic constructs’ are, and their potential inter-relatedness requires further research.

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Synthesising quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform guidelines on complex interventions: clarifying the purposes, designs and outlining some methods

Cited by 303 publications

References 53 publications

Promoting women’s and children’s health through community groups in low-income and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods systematic review of mechanisms, enablers and barriers

Promoting women’s and children’s health through community groups in low-income and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods systematic review of mechanisms, enablers and barriers

The Design, Content and Delivery of Relationship and Sexuality Education Programmes for People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the International Evidence

Men and loneliness in the ‘west’: A critical interpretive synthesis

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