Table 2 Mapping of the reporting framework to three selected process evaluations
| Â | Summary of trial being evaluated | Clearly labelled as a process evaluation | Stated purpose | Processes examined | Specify timing | Methods used | Choice of method justified | Report main findings of trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nazareth and colleagues[30] | Cluster-randomised trial of a pharmacist-led educational outreach intervention to improve GPs’ prescribing quality | Yes | ’To describe the steps leading to the final primary outcome and explore the effect of the intervention on each step of the hypothesised pathway of change in professionals’ prescribing behaviour’ | Cluster recruitment, Delivery to clusters, Adoption and Delivery to target population, Quantitative associations with effectiveness (reported in main trial paper) | Retrospective/ post hoc | Reporting of proportion of practices recruited. Association between proportion of GPs in each practice attending education outreach, the intervention and change in prescribing. Mixed-methods assessment of barriers and facilitators to adoption and delivery to target population. | Partly | Trial design, intervention, targeted outcomes and results summarised, main trial paper referenced |
Byng and colleagues[11] | Cluster-randomised trial of a complex intervention to promote shared care for people with severe mental health problems | Yes | ’To unpick the complexity of the intervention by examining interactions between components and context and then further defining its core functions’ | Adoption, Reach and Delivery to target population, Qualitative associations with effectiveness | Retrospective data collection, unclear if planned prospectively | Realistic evaluation, qualitative case study, analysis of interview data with a purposive sample of participating mental health team-practice cases. Case study findings were used to better understand how the intervention changed practice and targeted outcomes. | Yes | Trial design, intervention and results summarised, main trial paper referenced |
Fretheim and colleagues[33] | Cluster-randomised trial of a multifaceted intervention (educational outreach, audit and feedback, computerised reminders, patient information) to improve GPs’ prescribing quality | Yes | ’The main objective of this analysis was to identify factors that could explain variation in outcomes across practices’ | Delivery to clusters, Adoption and Quantitative associations with effectiveness | Prospective / pre-specified | Quantification of GP perceptions of the intervention and the trial, and pharmacist assessment of the quality of educational outreach. Regression analysis of associations with change in prescribing. | Partly | Trial design, intervention, targeted outcomes and results summarised, main trial paper referenced |