RAID-ER Special Interest Group Position Statement:

Realist Evaluation is a theory-based approach that addresses the questions, ‘what works, for whom, under what circumstances, and how’. Pawson and Tilley, the originators of Realist Evaluation, state that realist investigation requires getting a handle on the action and beliefs of each stakeholder within a wider model of their causes and consequences (Pawson and Tilley, 1997:164). Once these elements have been determined, it becomes possible to sketch out provisional theories, expressed as Context-Mechanism-Outcome statements (CMOs). Empirical data collected through observations, interviews and questionnaires are the means to scrutinise provisional theories and refine, change or dispute them as the basis for programme theory development.

Historically, the views and agency of people living with dementia have largely been absent from research (Williams and Webb, 2020). As Realist Evaluators and researchers in dementia care, we value and wish to engage with contributions to realist evaluation research from multiple and diverse perspectives, repertoires of knowledge and experiences in dementia. In developing RAID-ER as an inclusive Special Interest Group, we invite representation and contributions from knowledgeable individuals which may include people living with dementia, care partners, statutory health and care practitioners working in dementia, researchers and scholars in dementia and realist evaluation, community and voluntary sector practitioners, funding bodies, and policy makers. We welcome and support the contributions of people living with dementia and their care partners to realist evaluation research.

Ambitions of RAID-ER

  • We will uphold and promote the idea that there are different forms of knowledge and different ways of knowing (Storni, 2015).  All knowledge is partial, and theories remain theories that can be refined or disproved as new evidence comes to light (Wong et al, 2013).
  • We will maintain a commitment to stakeholder engagement and involvement in provisional programme theory/CMO development.
  • We will develop, with stakeholders, new research methods and approaches in data collection that engage people with dementia and their care partners, and aid realist programme theory development and refinement.
  • We will focus efforts on the integration of evidence-based theories from evaluations of comparable dementia interventions with the goal to further enhance understanding of what works, why, for whom and in what circumstances and support future implementation decision-making/strategising.
  • We will give consideration to the use of realist approaches within implementation studies.
  • We will seek to utilise existing evidence from realist reviews and dementia care

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