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Proposed criteria for reporting the development and evaluation of complex interventions in healthcare (CReDECI):

Ralph Möhler1, Gabriele Bartoszek, Sascha Köpke

  • 1School of Nursing Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany. Ralph.Moehler@uni-wh.de

International Journal of Nursing Studies
|September 20, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Researchers developed 16 reporting criteria for complex interventions in health care. These criteria, based on the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework, aim to improve study transparency and replicability.

Area of Science:

  • Nursing and Health Care Science
  • Complex Interventions Research
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Methods for researching complex interventions are increasingly important in health care.
  • The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework is widely used for complex interventions but lacks specific reporting guidelines.
  • Existing literature lacks comprehensive reporting criteria for the development and evaluation of complex interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and review a set of reporting criteria for complex interventions.
  • To enhance the transparency and replicability of complex intervention studies.
  • To establish a minimum standard for high-quality reporting in this field.

Main Methods:

  • An updated version of the MRC framework was used as a basis.
  • Methodological literature on complex interventions was reviewed.
  • A 16-item criteria list was developed and expert-reviewed, covering development, feasibility, piloting, and evaluation stages.

Main Results:

  • A 16-item checklist for reporting complex interventions was created.
  • The criteria cover the initial three stages of the MRC framework: development, feasibility/piloting, and introduction/evaluation.
  • The checklist aims to ensure high-quality reporting and facilitate interpretation and replication.

Conclusions:

  • The developed criteria provide a minimum standard for reporting complex intervention studies.
  • These criteria address the need for comprehensive and transparent reporting in nursing and health care science.
  • Further validation through a formal consensus process is planned, following EQUATOR network guidelines.

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