Guidance for the Reporting of an Intervention's Theory

Interventions in clinical trials should be clearly and completely described to inform their evaluation in replication studies and implementation in clinical practice. Guidelines were developed to standardize the reporting of interventions, but failed to provide guidance on reporting of the theory of interventions. Further, space constraints imposed by many research journals often limit the comprehensive description of both the theoretical and operational aspects of interventions.

To address these gaps, we propose that the theory of interventions be published in separate conceptual papers that would provide an in-depth description of the health problem targeted by an intervention, the components comprising an intervention, the causal mechanism responsible for an intervention's impact on the outcomes, and the conditions necessary for the proper implementation and the effectiveness of an intervention.

Such papers would assist in the critical appraisal of the adequacy, implementation, and evaluation of interventions. A description of the theory of interventions clarifies to health professionals what the interventions are about, who is likely to benefit from the interventions, how the interventions work and under what context.