Table 2

Three main implementation studies

Type of implementation studyObjectiveUse of models of causationThree examples in global health
1. Fidelity assessmentTo evaluate the degree to which an intervention is implemented as intended.

  • Intervention theory.

  • Framework.

  • Performance-based financing in Burkina Faso.63

  • Free care for caesarean sections in Benin.88

  • Community health volunteers in Uganda.89

2. Process evaluationTo understand how the intervention unfolded, its internal dynamics and the factors that influenced its implementation.

  • Intervention theory.

  • Framework.

  • Concepts borrowed from middle-range and grand theory.

  • Skilled birth attendance intervention in Mozambique.90

  • Performance-based financing in Uganda.91

  • Sustainability process for performance-based financing in Mali.92

3. Complex evaluationTo explain the relationships between an intervention and its outcomes in different contextual settings.

  • Intervention theory.

  • Framework.

  • Middle-range theory.

  • Grand theory.

  • Hospital management in Ghana.77

  • Free care theory in Africa.79

  • Rogers Innovations theory on performance-based financing in Burkina Faso.93