Reviews of theoretical frameworks: Challenges and judging the quality of theory application

Abstract

Background: Rigorous reviews of available information, from a range of resources, are required to support medical and health educators in their decision making.

Aim: The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of a review of theoretical frameworks specifically as a supplement to reviews that focus on a synthesis of the empirical evidence alone. Establishing a shared understanding of theory as a concept is highlighted as a challenge and some practical strategies to achieving this are presented. This article also introduces the concept of theoretical quality, arguing that a critique of how theory is applied should complement the methodological appraisal of the literature in a review.

Method: We illustrate the challenge of establishing a shared meaning of theory through reference to experiences of an on-going review of this kind conducted in the field of interprofessional education (IPE) and use a high scoring paper selected in this review to illustrate how theoretical quality can be assessed.

Findings: In reaching a shared understanding of theory as a concept, practical strategies that promote experiential and practical ways of knowing are required in addition to more propositional ways of sharing knowledge. Concepts of parsimony, testability, operational adequacy and empirical adequacy are explored as concepts that establish theoretical quality.

Conclusions: Reviews of theoretical frameworks used in medical education are required to inform educational practice. Review teams should make time and effort to reach a shared understanding of the term theory. Theory reviews, and reviews more widely, should add an assessment of theory application to the protocol of their review method.

Notes on contributors

DR SARAH HEAN, BSc MSc PhD, is a Marie Curie Senior Fellow at the University of Stavanger, Norway and Associate Professor at Bournemouth University, UK. She is chair of the in-2-theory group promoting the application of theoretical frameworks in interprofessional and interagency working. She has served on the CAIPE board and is Associate Editor on the Journal of Interprofessional Education.

PROFESSOR LIZ ANDERSON, PhD, BSc (Hons) SRN, SCM, HV, PGC in HE, is a trained nurse, midwife and health visitor and educational researcher. From within Leicester Medical School, she has led patient-centered teaching initiatives and as particular interest in partnership working with patients and carers. She co-designed the Leicester Model of Interprofessional Education and was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy 2007. She is widely published in the area of IPE and has served on the CAIPE and an active member of IN-2-THEORY.

DR CHRIS GREEN, PhD, RN, SFHEA, leads the Medical and Clinical Education programme and is Interprofessional Learning Lead at the University of Essex. He chairs the Consortium of Universities of Birmingham, Bournemouth, Essex and East Anglia BEME International Collaborating Centre that produces and develops systematic reviews in health professions education and is associate editor of the Journal of Interprofessional Care.

DR CAROL JOHN, BM DRCOG DOccMed, is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences, at the Anglo European College of Chiropractic. She is a medical doctor with a background in General Practice, Occupational Health and Medical Education. She has an interest in Interprofessional Education and is currently studying for a postgraduate qualification in Medical Education with Dundee University

DR CATHERINE O'HALLORAN, PhD, MSc, Cert.Ed, DPodM, is Associate Dean External Relations, in the School of Human & Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield. A podiatrist by professional background she has extensive experience of curriculum design and has developed inter-professional education at undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD levels for learners from a range of health care professions.

RICHARD PITT, MPhil BA (Hons) Dip N (Lond) Cert Ed FETCert RGN RMN FHEA, is Associate Professor in Nursing Education, BSc Nursing Course Lead and Director Centre for Interprofessional Education and Learning, University of Nottingham (UK), Vice Chair CAIPE, and Visiting Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University. He's embedded Interprofessional Learning within undergraduate medicine and healthcare curricula with extensive experience in facilitating Interprofessional Learning Student Conferences and Interprofessional Learning sets.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.