Outcome Measurement
Reports, Papers, Web sites and other Tools
Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR): Primary Research Project
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's (RIC) Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR) conducts a variety of research projects related to quantifying the outcomes of rehabilitation.
http://www.ric.org/research/centers/cror/projects/Primary.aspx
Does It Measure Up? (Holm-Hansen, 2007).
The research staff of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation developed this tip sheet with suggestions for conducting program evaluation.
http://tinyurl.com/ywha59
Measuring Outcomes with Questionnaires: Reliability & Validity for Clinical Researchers
This 7-part Web-based seminar series discusses ways of measuring outcomes and suggestions for selecting questionnaires. It is provided by the Health Services Research & Development Service (HSR&D) Cyber Seminars, a service of the Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CiDER) of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Cayla Teal, of the Measurement Excellence and Training Resource Information Center (METRIC), a HSR&D Resource Center, narrates. The presentation elaborates upon discussion of a measure of clinical control in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), published previously in van der Molen, T. et al. (2003), Development, validity and responsiveness the Clinical COPD Questionnaire. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1:13, which is available online at http://www.hqlo.com/content/pdf/1477-7525-1-13.pdf.
http://tinyurl.com/2jmus5
Efficacy Studies Project: "Assessing the Efficacy of Products Transferred through the T2RERC"
The T2RERC has successfully transferred a range of products to market in order to benefit persons with disabilities. This study is conducting laboratory and home trials to assess the quality and value of these transferred products in terms of how they affect the consumer's functional capabilities. Efficacy trials are gathering comparative evidences to answer the question, "How well do the products commercialized through the T2RERC actually benefit end users?"
http://t2rerc.buffalo.edu/research/efficacy-studies/index.htm
Measuring Program Outcomes: A Practical Approach (United Way)
This resource draws on information from a variety of social service agencies, and offers worksheets, examples and a bibliography related to a planning for measurable outcomes. (Note: $5.00 per copy and a $7.00 shipping fee involved.)
http://www.unitedwaystore.com/product.jsp?id=2356
User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations (National Science Foundation, 1997).
This handbook seeks to introduce a broader perspective of designing and conducting mixed method evaluations, which combine quantitative and qualitative techniques. It was initiated because of the recognition that by focusing primarily on quantitative techniques, evaluators may miss important parts of a story. The main objective is to make Principal Investigators (PIs) and Project Directors (PDs) "evaluation smart" and to provide the knowledge needed for planning and managing useful evaluations.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/nsf97153/start.htm
Developing an Evaluation Plan (University of Kansas, 2003)
This section on developing an evaluation plan is part of the University of Kansas' Community Tool Box that provides over 7,000 pages of practical information to support your work in promoting community health and development. This Web site is created and maintained by the Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The core of this Tool Box is the "topic sections" that include practical guidance for the different tasks necessary to promote community health and development. Each section includes a description of the task, advantages of doing it, step-by-step guidelines, examples, checklists of points to review, and training materials. This is one of the sections on developing an evaluation plan.
http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/section_1352.htm
Peer-Reviewed Journals or Books
Measures for Assessing Practice Change in Medical Practitioners (Hakkennes & Green, 2006).
The Implementation Science piece reviews methods used to measure change in the clinical practices of health professionals following an intervention aimed at increasing the uptake of evidence into practice.
http://www.implementationscience.com/content/1/1/29
Using a Summary Measure for Multiple Quality Indicators in Primary Care: The Summary Quality InDex (SQUID) (Nietert et al., 2007).
Audit and feedback on healthcare quality performance indicators can help improve the quality of care provided. In some instances, fewer numbers of more comprehensive indicators may be preferable. This Implementation Science paper describes the use of the Summary Quality Index (SQUID) in tracking quality of care among patients and primary care practices that use an electronic medical record (EMR). All practices are part of the Practice Partner Research Network, representing over 100 ambulatory care practices throughout the United States.
http://www.implementationscience.com/content/2/1/11
