Experimental Evaluation
A research design in which the researcher has control over the selection of the participants in the study, and these participants ae randomly assigned to treatment or control group
US Environmental Protection Agency (2007) Program Evaluation Glossary
iaspub.epa.gov/sor_internet/registry/termreg/searchandretrieve/glossariesandkeywordlists/search.do?details=&glossaryName=Program%20Evaluation%20Glossary
Formative Evaluation
“An evaluation intended to improve performance”
WHO (2013) Evaluation Practice Handbook
apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/96311/1/9789241548687_eng.pdf
Impact Evaluation
“Objective test of what changes have occurred and the extent to which these can be attributed to the policy” [intervention/service]
Magenta Book (2011)
http://gov.uk/government/publications/the-magenta-book
Logic Model
“Logic models describe the relationship between an intervention’s inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts”
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/220542/magenta_book_combined.pdf
“A logic model is a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan, and the changes or results you hope to achieve”
http://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2006/02/wk-kellogg-foundation-logic-model-development-guide
Natural Experiments
“work best in circumstances where a relatively large population is affected by a substantial change in a well-understood environmental exposure, and where exposures and outcomes can be captured through routine data sources, such as environmental monitoring and mortality records”
MRC (2006) Developing and evaluating complex interventions: new guidance
mrc.ac.uk/documents/pdf/complex-interventions-guidance
Outcome Measure
“changes (desirable and undesirable) in individuals and populations that are attributed to” intervention / service.
“denotes the effects of care on the health status of patients and the population”
MRC (2006) Developing and evaluating complex interventions: new guidance
mrc.ac.uk/documents/pdf/complex-interventions-guidance
Participatory Evaluation
“Improve program implementation and outcomes by actively engaging all stakeholders in the evaluation process”
W.K. Kellogg Foundation (2010) Evaluation Handbook
wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2010/w-k-kellogg-foundation-evaluation-handbook
Process Evaluation
“a study which aims to understand the functioning of an intervention, by examining implementation, mechanisms of impact, and contextual factors”
UK Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance (2014) Process Evaluation of Complex Interventions
mrc.ac.uk/documents/pdf/mrc-phsrn-process-evaluation-summary-guidance
Process Measure
“interactions between healthcare practitioner and patient; a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result (such as mammography screening rate)”
“denotes what is actually being done in giving and receiving care”
UK Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance (2014) Process Evaluation of Complex Interventions
mrc.ac.uk/documents/pdf/mrc-phsrn-process-evaluation-summary-guidance
Qualitative
“Qualitative research is used to explore and understand people’s beliefs, experiences, attitudes, behaviour and interactions. It generates non- numerical data, e.g. a patient’s description of their pain rather than a measure of pain. In health care, qualitative techniques have been commonly used in research documenting the experience of chronic illness and in studies about the functioning of organisations. Qualitative research techniques such as focus groups and in-depth interviews have been used in one-off projects commissioned by guideline development groups to find out more about the views and experiences of patients and carers”.
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/glossary/qualres.html
Quantitative
“Quantitative research generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers, for example clinical trials or the National Census, which counts people and households”.
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/glossary/qualres.html
Quasi-experimental Evaluation
“A quasi-experiment is an observational study in which the subjects to be observed are not randomly assigned to different groups in order to measure outcomes, as in a randomized experiment, but grouped according to a characteristic that they already possess”
APCRC Toolkit http://www.apcrc.nhs.uk/evaluation/documents/theoretical_approaches.pdf