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Handbook Integrated Care pp 629–656Cite as

Realist Research, Design and Evaluation for Integrated Care Initiatives

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Abstract

Realist research and evaluation methods are increasingly being used in health and social care research settings, including integrated care endeavours. The realist view of how the world is, and how we can explain it, seeks to look 'beneath the hood' and to ask the questions how and why. Health and social policy and service settings, within which integrated care strives to make a difference, are complex 'open' systems that can only partially be understood using empirical methods alone. Abductive and retroductive modes of reasoning, as used by realist researchers, are commonly used by physicians, detectives and lawyers to postulate hidden explanations based on available experienced evidence. The approach is, therefore, not foreign to many readers of this chapter, and realist scientific methodology gives validity to this common but scientifically neglected mode of analysis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Services Integration and Population Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia

    John G. Eastwood

  2. Centre for Research in Education, Torrens University Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Denise E. De Souza

  3. Burden of Disease Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ferdinand C. Mukumbang

Authors
  1. John G. Eastwood
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  2. Denise E. De Souza
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  3. Ferdinand C. Mukumbang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John G. Eastwood .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Volker Amelung

  2. Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Viktoria Stein

  3. Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Esther Suter

  4. University of Newcastle, Gosford, NSW, Australia

    Nicholas Goodwin

  5. Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Ellen Nolte

  6. Innovation Division and Clalit Research Institute, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Ran Balicer

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Eastwood, J.G., De Souza, D.E., Mukumbang, F.C. (2021). Realist Research, Design and Evaluation for Integrated Care Initiatives. In: Amelung, V., Stein, V., Suter, E., Goodwin, N., Nolte, E., Balicer, R. (eds) Handbook Integrated Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69262-9_37

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