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

Area of Science:

• Critical care research
• Health services research
• Implementation science

Background:

• Effective implementation of interventions for critically ill patients requires robust process evaluation.
• Understanding and application of process evaluation methods for complex interventions remain a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate a 1-day interactive workshop aimed at building capacity for conducting process evaluations of complex interventions.
• Utilized five critical care studies as case examples to enhance practical application.

Main Methods:

• Developed pre-workshop content on process evaluation, complex interventions, patient engagement, and health technology assessment.
• Facilitated multidisciplinary working groups for participants to develop process evaluation protocols.
• Collected immediate post-workshop feedback and conducted 1-year follow-up with principal investigators.

Main Results:

• Thirty-six participants attended the highly-rated workshop, finding the content relevant and comprehensive.
• Participants assessed instructors as knowledgeable and prepared; 100% would recommend the workshop.
• One year post-workshop, four out of five principal investigators advanced their process evaluations.

Conclusions:

• A 1-day workshop effectively trained participants in designing and conducting process evaluations for critical care complex interventions.
• The workshop content and format are valuable for future process evaluation education and similar capacity-building initiatives.