RADAR-ES: A Methodological Framework for Conducting Environmental Scans in Health Services Delivery Research.

Authors

Daniel A Nagel, Patricia Charlton, Rima Azar, Lilly Koenig, Kara Burns, Terri Kean

Published in

Journal of primary care & community health. Volume 16. Pages 21501319251363783. Epub Aug 17, 2025.

Abstract

To propose a methodological framework for conceptualizing, planning, and implementing an environmental scan (ES) in health services delivery research (HSDR).
An ES is a methodological approach employed to examine a range of practices, policies, issues, programs, technologies, trends, and opportunities from a variety of data sources to inform program or policy development. Despite the wide use of ESs in health care to inform decision-making, a lack of methodological guidance exists to support researchers in planning and conducting an ES in HSDR.
Adapting McMeekin et al's process for developing methodological frameworks, we identified literature that described approaches to planning and conducting ESs in addition to exemplar articles that featured ESs in HSDR. We integrated original research findings and synthesized data from all sources to generate an evidence-informed methodological framework.
We developed RADAR-ES that consists of 5 phases and is informed by 4 guiding principles: (1) Recognizing the Issue; (2) Assessing Factors for ES; (3) Developing an ES Protocol; (4) Acquiring and Analyzing the Data; and (5) Reporting the Results.
RADAR-ES will provide comprehensive guidance for researchers and health services stakeholders who plan and conduct ESs in HSDR.

PMID:
40819256
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Aug 2025.

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