Abstract
Multisite trials present challenges due to sociopolitical environment of the study, site preparation issues and research management protocols. This paper uses two case studies from complex multilevel innovations involving two or more operating agencies to assess how research processes affect the internal and external validity of the study. This paper highlights the need to extend the discussion regarding experimental design into assessments of fidelity and adherence, or the common implementation issues, that continually affect the integrity of the experiment. The case studies highlight the typical, often confounding, decisions that researchers must make in a study to adapt to the study environment. The case studies serve to provide a discussion of issues regarding the design and conduct of multisite trials. We conclude by providing lessons learned in conducting or being involved in multisite trials including the use of CONSORT charts as a tool to assess impact of implementation decisions on experimental integrity.
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Acknowledgements
This study was funded under a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA) to George Mason University (Grant U01 DA016213–01, Action Research to Advance Drug Treatment in the CJS). The funding for this cooperative agreement was supplemented by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The authors acknowledge the collaborative contributions by federal staff from NIDA and the other nine Research Center grantees of the NIH/NIDA CJ-DATS Cooperative. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIH/NIDA or other participants in CJ-DATS.
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Taxman, F.S., Rhodes, A.G. (2010). Multisite Trials in Criminal Justice Settings: Trials and Tribulations of Field Experiments. In: Piquero, A., Weisburd, D. (eds) Handbook of Quantitative Criminology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77650-7_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77650-7_25
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