De-implementation in health and care services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
De-implementation in health and care services: what works, for whom, why, and in which contexts? A realist synthesis
IRAS ID
232610
Contact name
Lynne Williams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
CRD42017081030, PROSPERO
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
In health and care, decisions to stop doing things, where it is clear there is no value or benefit to them, are important. Sometimes called "de-implementation", with governments across the world taking measures to ensure that the focus is on doing the right things, as well as wasting less resources. However, stopping people doing things is challenging, with little guidance for health and care managers. The study team is made up of NHS managers, patient and public representatives (PPI), as well as a group of researchers who, collectively, have a track record of undertaking realist syntheses, which tries to understand what's working (the real-world process of stopping or doing things differently), how and why things work, and what are the factors that help (or not). During the study, additional guidance will be sought from a group of people who have expertise in this topic (the stakeholder group) and by a group of senior managers, policy makers and patient and public representatives, who will check and guide the progress of the study (the project advisory group). The study will be conducted in four phases over 18 months. Phase 1: Developing a robust definition of de-implementation, engaging with different stakeholders to learn about their understanding and experiences. Phase 2: Searches of different literature sources for relevant evidence about stopping or avoiding practices in health and care. This evidence will be examined in a methodical way so that we can explain and understand it. Phase 3: We will undertake interviews with managers to learn about the decision-making process in disinvestment or de-implementation processes, presenting findings to the stakeholder group for further clarification. Phase 4: Our PPI members will co-lead the process of getting the study recommendations to a broad audience including managers, health and care staff and the public.
REC name
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REC reference
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