SD drafted the original manuscript NF, PH, ML and SMC aided in revisions and study execution.
Funding for Fuse from British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, National Institute of Health Research, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, Health and Social Care Research and Development Office, Northern Ireland, National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (Welsh Assembly Government) and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UKCRC, is gratefully acknowledged. Fuse is a UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. This study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Materials used throughout the study are available upon request. The data collected in the study is not readily available due to ethical constraints. N1 - Funding information: Ethical approval for the study was granted by Northumbria University’s Ethical Approval system on all participants from the study provided informed consent to participate and for publication. T1 - Using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS NVivo) to assist in the complex process of realist theory generation, refinement and testing We would also like to thank Fuse (The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health) for their support throughout the project.", The authors would like to acknowledge our practice partners Citizens Advice Gateshead and thank all the participants who took part in the initial study.
This article presents the evolving and complex process of coding several data sources to nodes and child nodes, whilst writing s Ethical Approval system on all participants from the study provided informed consent to participate and for publication. This paper will describe the way in which Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software, specifically, NUD*IST Vivo (NVivo), was used to build and refine programme theories (using literature and interview data) in a realist evaluation. This effectively creates a structured track record of the analytical process, which increases its rigour and transparency.Ībstract = "There have been several calls for more transparency in realist methods, particularly in the complex process of programme theory development and refinement. We propose that the use of NVivo in realist approaches can help structure the iterative and by nature ‘messy’ process of generating, refining and testing complex programme theories when drawing on multiple data sources simultaneously. RAMESES I and II have provided a platform to improve transparency in reporting realist research, by developing consensus and evidence-based reporting guidelines.
In this project, NVivo helped create an explicitly documented and evidenced audit trail of the process of programme theory refinement, answering to calls for further transparency in realist analysis. This article presents the evolving and complex process of coding several data sources to nodes and child nodes, whilst writing ‘attached memos’ to highlight the process of theory generation. There have been several calls for more transparency in realist methods, particularly in the complex process of programme theory development and refinement.