Building Family Interventions for Scalability and Impact.

Area of Science:

• Family Nursing Science
• Intervention Development
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Family nursing research requires robust conceptual and methodological foundations for effective family-focused interventions.
• A clear, step-by-step approach is needed to integrate intervention science with family science.
• Existing guidance often lacks integration across foundational, developmental, and experimental stages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide pragmatic, evidence-based guidance for advancing family intervention research.
• To detail the initial three stages of intervention development: foundational work, development and feasibility, and efficacy testing.
• To support family scientists in moving from conceptualization to experimental testing with policy integration.

Main Methods:

• The manuscript outlines a pragmatic, evidence-based approach for family intervention development.
• It details the first three stages of Sidani's five-stage method: foundational work, intervention development/feasibility, and efficacy testing.
• Guidance is presented with a focus on process, design, and policy/practice implications, using a family lens.

Main Results:

• Provides a structured framework for family intervention development, emphasizing a family-centered approach.
• Illustrates how to progress from understanding a problem to assessing intervention acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy.
• Offers practical examples to highlight the application of the family lens throughout the intervention development process.

Conclusions:

• This guidance advances family nursing intervention research by providing a clear roadmap from foundational work to efficacy testing.
• It equips family scientists with the tools to develop, assess, and test interventions effectively.
• The manuscript aims to strengthen family nursing science and inform relevant policies and practices.