Table 1 Taxonomy of approaches to developing interventions, adapted from O’Cathain et al. [13]
Category | Definition |
|---|---|
1. Partnership | The people for whom the intervention aims to help are involved in decision-making about the intervention throughout the development process, having at least equal decision-making powers with members of the research team |
2. Target population centred | Interventions are based on the views and actions of the people who will use the intervention |
3. Theory and evidence based | Interventions are based on combining published research evidence and formal theories (e.g. psychological or organisational theories) or theories specific to the intervention |
4. Implementation based | Interventions are developed with attention to ensuring the intervention will be used in the real world if effective |
5. Efficiency based | Components of an intervention are tested using experimental designs to determine active components and make interventions more efficient |
6. Stepped or phased based | Interventions are developed through emphasis on a systematic overview of processes involved in intervention development |
7. Intervention-specific | An intervention development approach is constructed for a specific type of intervention |
8. Combination | Existing approaches to intervention development are combined |