Understanding research practices and methodological choices when applying the Person-Based Approach to health intervention development: A qualitative interview study

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study explores why researchers selected the Person-Based Approach (PBA) to intervention development for their studies and their perceptions of the strengths and limitations of using the approach in practice. Design This is a qualitative interview study, which uses an Interpretive Description approach to thematically analyse data. Setting The participants were based at academic institutions across the UK, Europe and North America. Participants We interviewed 16 health researchers at different academic career stages, including clinicians, psychologists and social scientists. Results Three main themes were chosen to characterise and describe the data: Navigation (the PBA provided guidance throughout key development phases, and a clear audit-trail of research decisions); Flexibility (the PBA enabled study teams to make resource-responsive adaptations to their research methods, while maintaining the core principle of user focus) and Integration (the PBA facilitated the synthesis of diverse evidence sources and the combination of different development methodologies/frameworks). Conclusions Using the PBA gave researchers the confidence to adapt their research activities, particularly patient and public involvement and qualitative methods, to better reach target users. They selected the PBA not purely on instrumental grounds, but because it aligned with their professional values and commitment to user-centred practice. The PBA also facilitated the integration of multiple evidence sources and development frameworks. Understanding whether these diverse methodological configurations lead to successful outcomes will require evaluation approaches that can accommodate complexity and pluralism, alongside transparent reporting of the choices made.