Pragmatic clinical trials of mental health services are increasingly being developed to establish comparative effectiveness, influence sustainable implementation, and address real world policy decisions. However, use of time and resource intensive qualitative methods in pragmatic trials may be inconsistent with the aims of efficiency and cost minimization. This paper introduces a qualitative method known as Rapid Assessment Procedure-Informed Clinical Ethnography (RAPICE) that combines the techniques of Rapid Assessment Procedures with clinical ethnography. A case study is presented to illustrate how RAPICE can be used to efficiently understand pragmatic trial implementation processes and associated real world policy implications.
Keywords: Clinical ethnography; Implementation; Policy; Pragmatic clinical trials; Qualitative methods.