Complex interventions and their implications for systematic reviews: A pragmatic approach.

Area of Science:

• Health research methodology
• Evidence synthesis

Background:

• Complex interventions pose unique challenges for systematic reviews.
• Current discussions focus on describing complexity rather than offering practical solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a pragmatic approach for incorporating a complexity perspective into systematic reviews.
• To offer guidance on handling challenges presented by complex interventions in reviews.

Main Methods:

• Outlined a pragmatic approach based on meetings held between 2009-2012.
• Emphasized clear research question definition as the starting point.
• Suggested identifying sources of complexity and mapping intervention aspects to evidence types (quantitative/qualitative).

Main Results:

• Systematic reviews of complex interventions can be simple or complex depending on the research question.
• The approach is applicable to both systematic reviews and primary research evaluating complex interventions.
• The methodology extends beyond healthcare to sectors like social policy and international development.

Conclusions:

• Systematic reviews should adopt a pragmatic approach to complexity.
• The principle of Occam's razor should guide the complexity of explanations in reviews.
• This approach aids in conducting more effective systematic reviews and evaluations of complex interventions.