Systematic review of applications and properties of the NoMAD instrument for assessing implementation outcomes: Study protocol

Tracy L Finch*, Leah Bührmann, Sebastian Potthoff, Carl R May, Beckie Gibson, Jiri Gumancik, Oliver Wilson-Dickson, Melissa Girling, Tim Rapley

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Background
Implementation outcomes measures can be used to assess the implementation of complex health and social care interventions, but evidence for the use of these measures, and their psychometric properties, remains limited. The NoMAD (Normalisation Measure Development) survey, based on Normalisation Process Theory, was developed to assess, monitor, or measure factors likely to affect normalisation of a new practice from the perspective of participants who are engaged in an implementation process. Since publication in 2015, NoMAD has been translated into several languages and is increasingly being used in health and care research. This systematic review will identify, appraise, and synthesise the existing literature on the use of NoMAD as an implementation outcome measure, focusing on use and application across different studies and settings, and on its properties as a measurement tool.

Methods
We will systematically search the bibliographic databases Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed for articles reporting empirical data in peer-reviewed journals. A citation search will also be undertaken in Google Scholar for primary NoMAD publications. Studies will be eligible for inclusion if they: (a) specify using NoMAD as a method and report results from using it, and/or (b) report a translation and/or validation study of NoMAD’s measurement properties. Screening of abstracts and full text articles will be done independently by two researchers. Data extraction will be structured to allow collection and descriptive synthesis of data on study characteristics, use of NoMAD, psychometric results, and authors’ reflections and recommendations.

Conclusions
This review will provide the first synthesis of how NoMAD has been applied in health and care research, and evidence on its properties as an outcome measure since its publication. This will be used to update existing freely accessible guidance for researchers and other users, and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, and engagement activities with researchers and practitioners.
Original languageEnglish
Article number21
Number of pages13
JournalNIHR open research
Volume4
Early online date18 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • Implementation Outcome measure
  • measure validation
  • Normalisation Process Theory measure
  • systematic review
  • Normalisation Process Theory
  • NPT
  • NoMAD

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