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Table 6 Overview of mixed-methods process evaluation

From: Implementing evidence-based recommended practices for the management of patients with mild traumatic brain injuries in Australian emergency care departments: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Element

Method

Indicative measures/details

Theory-based evaluation of factors along the proposed causal pathway

Quantitative

Intervention and control group: scales in endpoint surveys (see Table 4)

Delivery of intervention components

Mixed

Intervention group: detailed assessment of NET intervention delivery

Local opinion leaders: researcher-assessed presence of both opinion leaders in each hospital for entire intervention delivery duration

Stakeholder meeting: attendance of providers; delivery of messages and so forth (researcher assessed)

Train-the-trainer: observer assessment of intervention components

Local educational workshops: education sessions provided assessed via log-books completed by the clinical opinion leaders

Materials and tools: availability assessed via self-report clinical opinion leaders and staff

Control group: high-level assessment of potential delivery of (non-NET) intervention components assessed via a brief telephone interview with ED Director or delegate (for example, was someone in your ED championing improvements/providing education around the management of mTBI patients?)

Receipt and acceptability and feasibility of intervention elements

Mixed

Intervention group:

Local opinion leaders: inclusion ‘local opinion leaders’ scale (ORCA) in staff endpoint surveys; staff perceptions of ‘availability’ and ‘credibility’ (in semi-structured interviews)

Stakeholder meeting: attendance of key-stakeholders; acceptance of messages (both researcher assessed)

Train-the-trainer: attendance of local opinion leaders assessed via attendance lists; participant assessment of acceptance of components (participant sheets)

Local educational workshops: attendance of local staff assessed via attendance lists; participant acceptance of sessions provided, assessed via scales in endpoint surveys and semi-structured evaluation interviews

Materials and tools: availability assessed via self-report of local opinion leaders and staff

Perceptions around successful implementation

Qualitative

Intervention group: Perceptions around the success of the implementation assessed in semi-structured interviews

Perceptions of factors influencing successful implementation

Mixed

Intervention group: Perceptions around factors influencing the implementation processes (for example, organisational readiness; perceived leadership support; perceptions around quality and clarity of evidence and recommendations and so forth, measured in semi-structured interviews)

Inclusion of ‘leadership’ scale (ORCA) in staff endpoint surveys

Perceptions of acceptability and feasibility intervention as ‘package’

Mixed

Intervention group: Perceptions around usefulness and feasibility of roll-out measured in semi-structured interviews

  1. ED, emergency department; mTBI, mild traumatic brain injury; NET, Neurotrauma Evidence Translation; ORCA, organisational readiness to change assessment.