An interactive capacity-building workshop for process evaluations of complex interventions in critical care

Interventions to improve outcomes for critically ill patients are complex, thus it is crucial to study intervention implementation using a process evaluation. However, process evaluation methods are not well understood.

The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate a 1-day in-person interactive workshop, using five critical care studies as case examples, to build capacity for conducting process evaluations of complex interventions.

Instructors with process evaluation expertise developed preworkshop content. Each instructor and study principal investigator (PI) identified knowledge holders to participate in the workshop. Participants formed multidisciplinary working groups to develop process evaluation protocols for each study. We collected participant feedback on workshop structure and content immediately post workshop. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. We contacted PIs 1-year post workshop to understand process evaluation progress.

Preworkshop content covered four topics: (i) process evaluation methods; (ii) complex interventions; (iii) patient engagement and mixed methods; and (iv) health technology assessment. Thirty-six participants attended and rated it highly (n = 25 respondents), with relevant (median [1st, 3rd quartile]: 5 [5, 5]) and comprehensive (5 [5, 5]) content. Participants assessed the instructors as knowledgeable, prepared, and responsive (5 [5, 5]) for all three items (n = 24). All respondents would recommend the workshop to others (n = 19, 100%). At 1 year, four of five PIs advanced their process evaluations.

We delivered a 1-day workshop on designing and conducting process evaluations for critical care complex interventions. The workshop was well received, and content can be used for future process evaluation education, and the format can inform the conduct of similar initiatives.