Mixed Methods Evaluation in Dissemination and Implementation Science

In reviewing the rapidly growing literature on the use of mixed methods to address important issues confronting the science of dissemination and implementation, the authors make two observations. The first observation is that mixed methods reflect an iterative process of data collection and analysis that involves both inductive and deductive approaches to understanding complex phenomena. Second, this chapter begins with the observation that using mixed methods is more than parallel play involving separate quantitative and qualitative studies. Both the iterative nature of dissemination and implementation science and the likely debate and compromises involved in selection and application of quantitative and qualitative methods in a mixed method design demand attention on the part of the investigators to document and detail the rationale for the selection of methods and the process and outcomes of their use.