Читать книгу Nursing and Health Interventions - Souraya Sidani - Страница 19

Each component of a complex health intervention targets a particular aspect of the health problem, and, therefore, activates a unique mechanism of action. When a combination of components is delivered, the components may act interdependently in producing complex, multiple causal pathways that represent the mechanism of action responsible for the intervention's effects on the outcomes. The theory of change integrates these pathways (Mayne, 2015; Montague, 2019; Powell, 2019) to explain how the complex intervention, in its totality, works to bring about beneficial changes in the health problem and other outcomes (Bleijenberg et al., 2018).

The theory of change guides the plan and conduct of intervention evaluation studies. It identifies the interventions' processes, mediators, and outcomes to be investigated; gives direction for their measurement as well as the timing of their assessment; and assists in interpreting the findings. In practice, health professionals' awareness of the theory empowers engagement in an enlightened and judicious decision‐making process.