Comparar métodos

	Síntesis Realista	Análisis Temático
Campo	Síntesis de evidencia	Investigación cualitativa
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Año de origen	2005	2006
Autor original	Ray Pawson (2005)	Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke
Tipo	Framework	Method
Fuente seminal	Pawson, R., Greenhalgh, T., Harvey, G., & Walshe, K. (2005). Realist review—a new method of systematic review designed for complex policy and programme evaluation. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 10(S1), 21–35.	Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Alias	Realist Review, CMO Configuration, Mechanism-Based Synthesis	TA, Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Relacionados	1	3
Resumen	Realist synthesis is a theory-driven, interpretive method for evidence synthesis developed by Ray Pawson (2005) that focuses on understanding HOW and WHY interventions work, rather than WHETHER they work. Grounded in realist philosophy, realist synthesis examines Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) configurations: how specific contextual conditions activate mechanisms that produce outcomes. Unlike traditional systematic reviews, which typically answer 'Does intervention X reduce outcome Y?', realist synthesis asks 'Under what conditions, through what mechanisms, for which populations does X work?' This approach is particularly valuable for complex interventions (policies, programs, multi-component treatments) where effectiveness varies dramatically across contexts, and for understanding why interventions succeed in some settings but fail in others.	Thematic Analysis (TA) is a qualitative research methodology for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) in qualitative data. Developed systematically by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke (2006), TA is flexible and accessible, applicable across diverse theoretical frameworks and data types, making it one of the most widely used qualitative methods in psychology, health research, and social sciences.