ABSTRACT

This easy-to-use handbook is a useful resource for all health professionals engaged in processes of evaluation in a variety of contexts within the world of healthcare. Encouraging an evidence-based approach to practice, it provides:

* guidelines on how to design and evaluate an intervention
* examples of good practice
* reliable and easy-to-use measures
* advice on how to work effectively.

Designed to prompt self-evaluation and group project evaluation, it illustrates how simple evaluation methods can help to break down the divisions between research and practice. It shows how more practitioners can apply such methods to improve the quality of care as well as the treatments and services which they offer their patients and clients. The examples, drawn from clinical settings, community practice and work in the voluntary sector, demonstrate the kind of evaluation that can be undertaken by a small-scale team or a single practitioner with limited resources.

The Evaluation Handbook will be a useful source of reference for those new to evaluation as well as more experienced managers and researchers.

chapter 1|4 pages

INTRODUCTION

chapter |2 pages

FURTHER READING

part |2 pages

PART 1

chapter 2|3 pages

INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH

TARGETING HEALTH AND SOCIAL NEED

chapter |2 pages

PROMOTING HEALTH AND WELLBEING

chapter |3 pages

THE EQUITY ISSUE

chapter 3|10 pages

EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTHCARE

UNDERSTANDING ‘BEST’ PRACTICE

chapter |2 pages

FURTHER READING

chapter |5 pages

Target groups

chapter |5 pages

Targeting health and social need

chapter |2 pages

How the intervention works

chapter |1 pages

Future of the intervention

chapter |3 pages

How the intervention works

chapter |3 pages

Future of the intervention

part |2 pages

PART 2

chapter 5|9 pages

AN INTRODUCTION TO EVALUATION

WHAT IS EVALUATION?

chapter 6|3 pages

EVALUATING INTERVENTIONS

START THINKING ABOUT THE EVALUATION

chapter |1 pages

WORKING THROUGH AN EVALUATION

chapter 7|1 pages

WORKING THROUGH AN EVALUATION: STRUCTURE

STAGE 1: WHY ARE YOU EVALUATING?

chapter |6 pages

Fair access

Different stakeholders

chapter |4 pages

STAGE 3: WHEN TO EVALUATE

Resources

chapter |2 pages

FURTHER READING

Stages 1 and 2

chapter 8|1 pages

WORKING THROUGH AN EVALUATION: PROCESS

STAGE 4: WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED? Reviewing knowledge: Evidence of quality or ‘best practice’

chapter |5 pages

‘Best practice’

chapter 3|5 pages

RESOURCES

chapter 9|2 pages

WORKING THROUGH AN EVALUATION: OUTCOME

STAGE 7: WHAT DO THE MEASURES SHOW? RESULTS Outcome measurement

part |2 pages

PART 3

chapter |6 pages

Working in partnership

chapter |3 pages

A community case study

chapter |5 pages

Stage 5: Analyse information

chapter |1 pages

Stage 8: Conclusions

chapter |5 pages

Stage 9: Programme of change

chapter |12 pages

APPENDIX 1

A questionnaire from the Women’s Community Health Survey

chapter |6 pages

Partnership and inter-agency working

chapter |1 pages

Data collection stages

chapter 12|14 pages

EVALUATION IN PRACTICE: PROCESS

chapter |3 pages

Benefits and outcomes

chapter |5 pages

APPENDIX 2

Carer volunteer feedback questionnaire

chapter |2 pages

FURTHER READING

chapter |2 pages

Discussion

chapter 3|3 pages

RESOURCES

chapter |5 pages

APPENDIX 2

Knowledge of Breastfeeding: Women’s questionnaire

chapter |5 pages

APPENDIX 3

Breastfeeding diary

chapter |6 pages

APPENDIX 6

Women’s and partners’ responses to Knowledge of Breastfeeding questionnaire

chapter |6 pages

GLOSSARY

chapter |2 pages

Further reading and sources of information

General poverty

chapter |1 pages

Travellers

chapter |2 pages

Evaluation

chapter |2 pages

SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION

Organizations concerned with clinical effectiveness