Evaluating processes for evidence‐based health care in the National Health Service Available to Purchase

This paper explores the growing interest of Health Service researchers in evaluating processes or process evaluation and discusses the relevance of this type of evaluation to the National Health Service (NHS( in the UK. Increased focus has been given to issues of evidence‐based health care since the introduction of the NHS R&D strategy in 1991. Nevertheless, there is a need to understand complex ways of working, particularly as changes in practice rarely follow a linear pattern. The basic principles of process evaluation and its links to social science methodologies are outlined, including the importance of context and the role of stakeholders, and how process evaluation can assist health professionals in their work is explored. It is then shown how the process evaluations linked to four initiatives designed to promote evidence‐based decision making or change clinicians’ behaviour were crucial for understanding the reasons for the outcomes of the initiatives.