A realist evaluation approach to explaining the role of context in the impact of a complex eHealth intervention for improving prevention of cardiovascular disease

摘要

In line with the realist approach to interviewing cases, the researcher used knowledge of the original program theories and intended outcomes to elicit causal and circumstantial triggers from the many subjective intervention experiences [10]. Therefore, the hypothesised impact of the various intervention features was tested in the interviews and formed the core of the interview guide. The researcher conveyed to the interviewee the underlying concepts and prompted interviewees to appraise their experience of the intervention against the proposed constructs (Table 1). Follow-up questions were asked if responses were yeso. Responses such as feelings, beliefs, fears, values, intentions, and so on, were sought to illuminate how interaction with the intervention in individual situations affected reasoning and decision-making in respect of health behaviour [29]. In this way, influences on how the intervention worked other than those proposed in the original program theories were expected to emerge from a range of participant accounts and offer greater explanatory depth to how the intervention worked [32].