Challenging traditional methodologies in health management research: MMR applications in the codesign, implementation, and evaluation of a health care intervention

The field of health management is becoming increasingly complex, dynamic and unpredictable. Central to this complexity is the push towards person-centred care, which provides a foundation for high quality care that meets the needs of end-users. As such, new innovative approaches are emerging that incorporate the active participation of patients such as (i) codesign; (ii) implementation science and (iii) complexity aware evaluation. However, traditional study designs and research methodologies used in health management are often insufficient for the complex nature of these new approaches. In this chapter, we challenge the use of traditional methodologies in health management research and propose alternative mixed methods study designs that understand the crucial role of context in the success of a programme innovation. We use a case study example of a research project from the field of health management to demonstrate the application of MMR through a sequential transformative MMR design to evaluate a range of engagement, process and outcome measures.