Towards realist-informed ripple effects mapping (RREM): positioning the approach

Evaluation approaches such as ripple effects mapping (REM) and realist evaluation have emerged as popular methodologies to evidence impact, and the processes of change within public health as part of whole systems approaches. Despite the various examples of their implementation across different eval...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC medical research methodology 2024-10, Vol.24 (1), p.259-17, Article 259
Main Authors: Harris, Kevin, Nobles, James, Ryan, Louis, Szedlak, Christoph, Taylor, Hannah, Hawkins, Rowena, Cline, Alice, Smith, Elizabeth, Hall, Amelia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Causal connections
Exercise
Exercise - physiology
Humans
Methods
Public Health - methods
Realist
Research Design
Ripple Effects Mapping
RREM
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Evaluation approaches such as ripple effects mapping (REM) and realist evaluation have emerged as popular methodologies to evidence impact, and the processes of change within public health as part of whole systems approaches. Despite the various examples of their implementation across different evaluation settings, there has been little or no evidence of how they might be effective when combined. With REM's potential to pragmatically illustrate impact, and realist evaluation's strength to identify how and why impacts emerge, this paper develops a rationale and process for their amalgamation. Following this, we outline a realist-informed ripple effects mapping (RREM) protocol drawing upon a physical activity based case study in Essex that may be suitable for application within evaluation settings in a range of public health, whole system and physical activity settings. Combining these two approaches has the potential to more effectively illuminate the impacts that we see within public health and whole system approaches and initiatives. What is more, given the complexity often imbued within these approaches and initiatives, they hold capability for also capturing the causal mechanisms that explain these impacts. It is our conclusion that when combined, this novel approach may help to inspire future research as well as more effective evaluation of public health and whole system approaches. This is crucial if we are to foster a culture for learning, refinement and reflection.
ISSN:1471-2288
1471-2288
DOI:10.1186/s12874-024-02371-7