The study attempts to develop an outpatient service quality scale by investigating the key dimensions which assess parental satisfaction and provides a recommendation on an improved health service delivery system. The survey was conducted in an Ear-Nose-Throat outpatient clinic of a Greek public pediatric hospital. A total of 127 parents in…

Independent evaluation of refugee-focused programs in developed nations is increasingly a mandatory requirement of funding bodies and government agencies. This paper presents an evaluation of the Integrated Services Centre (ISC) Pilot Project that was conducted in Australia in 2007 and early 2008. The purpose of the ISC program was to provide…

Training birth attendants (TBAs) to provide essential maternal and infant health care services during delivery and ongoing community care in developing countries. Despite inadequate evidence of relevance and effectiveness of TBA training programmes, there has been a policy shift since the 1990s in that many donor agencies funding TBA training…

Educational needs assessments (hereafter NAs) are inattentive to cost considerations and are frequently dominated by elite stakeholder groups. In this article I make a case for adopting a cost-utility approach, illustrating the argument with data generated in a NA of central library services in a Canadian school district. Using survey data from…

This article describes the results of a qualitative case study evaluating a research mentorship program in community care settings in Ontario, Canada. The purpose of the program was to build evaluation and research capacity among staff of community care agencies through a mentorship program. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured…

This paper reflects on a process evaluation of a home visitation programme in South Africa. The programme, implemented in two low-income communities, focused on the reduction of risks to unintentional childhood injuries. The evaluation comprised a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including observations in conjunction with an…

Evaluated the success of a palliative health care team in a Dutch health region. Results show that it is more appropriate to acknowledge ambiguity and facilitate its handling as part of dynamic learning processes. Discusses the usefulness of a responsive approach to evaluation, evaluation methodology, and learning experiences. (SLD)

Research strategies, including types of evaluations, designs, and indicators, developed to assess programs for chronic alcoholics and mentally ill homeless people in Canada are reviewed. Findings from previous evaluations are summarized, and the implications for evaluation practice are considered. (SLD)

Client satisfaction with outpatient psychotherapy in New Zealand was studied for 93 adult subjects who completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Clients reported a high degree of satisfaction, and there were positive correlations between satisfaction and symptom change on both client-related and therapist-related outcome measures. (SLD)

This paper reports on the evaluation of some elements of a multicomponent program involving more than 20 agencies aimed at improving accessibility of health and social services for the homeless. The case study approach shows how the organizational context, stakeholder characteristics, and methodological features can affect evaluations. (SLD)

An 82-item multidimensional questionnaire, the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale, was recently developed in Italy to measure client satisfaction with psychiatric services. The scale contains 29 items from the English Service Satisfaction Scale. Psychometric characteristics and test use are discussed. Results support the use of the scale in service…

The process used in Papua New Guinea to integrate national and district health planning in a decentralized setting is described, highlighting the key elements of participation, learning by doing, and integration. The importance of this three-pronged approach for program development and application is discussed. (SLD)

The mental health needs of children and youth with learning disabilities and their families were studied in a survey of 79 human services directors in the Toronto (Canada) area. The study illustrates the importance of involving relevant communities in planning for community needs assessment and program implementation. (SLD)