A standardised approach to producing evidence of the effectiveness of interventions

Aim of project Many sectors and disciplines have discovered numerous ways in which common research practices contribute to systematic inaccuracies in the published record of intervention effectiveness. In response, substantial effort has been devoted to developing approaches to avoid these problems. The fruits of these efforts are not always evenly distributed or easily available. This project develops a standardised approach to producing evidence of intervention effectiveness, to make better practices accessible to researchers irrespective of the sectors or disciplines in which they are situated. Social prescribing researchers can combine this approach with crucial sector-specific knowledge to produce compelling evidence of ‘what works’. Method(s) used The Standards of Evidence were developed through investigation of problems in establishing accurate records of intervention effectiveness, and solutions developed to those problems across disciplines. Researchers and evidence users contributed expertise to the development of a consistent, repeatable approach, culminating in formal standards. The Standards follow the conventions that standards organisations like ISO have established to facilitate unambiguous process definitions. Key Findings/Learning The Standards are freely available to researchers working across disciplines. They are applicable across contexts, providing a structured process for researchers to investigate intervention effectiveness. They establish a framework within which researchers can contemplate research design decisions, ensuring consideration and documentation of important factors. Conclusions Those choosing to conform to the Standards will find they facilitate many aspects of research design. The Standards do not remove research design decisions from those best placed to make them, but instead ensure that critical decisions are consciously made and documented, thereby reducing cognitive load, facilitating high-quality research. The standardised approach is well suited to social prescribing research, providing a framework for researching the effectiveness of social prescribing initiatives.