Evaluating health interventions : an introduction to evaluation of health treatments, services, policies, and organizational interventions

An overview of the range of approaches to evaluation, this book is aimed at those researchers who need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. It describes principles, concepts and methods for evaluating health treatments, services, policies and organizational interventions. The book adopts an even-handed and accessible approach to the many different evaluation paradigms and methods. Its practical, multidisciplinary approach shows how to ensure that evaluation results in action. It emphasizes the increasingly important role that evaluation plays in everyday clinical, managerial and policymaking work. A simple but not simplistic overview of the range of approaches to evaluation. For health practitioners, managers and policy advisers who need to use or conduct an evaluation but who may be confused by the variety of approaches. The book is also useful to disciplinary-based researchers who need to know about the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to evaluation, and some of the practical pitfalls and politics of evaluation. It describes principles, concepts and methods for evaluating health treatments, services, policies and organizational interventions.

The strengths of this book are its even-handed and accessible overview of the many different evaluation paradigms and methods. Its practical and multidisciplinary approach shows how to ensure that evaluation results in action. The author draws on his 17 years' experience as an evaluator and gives frameworks which explain the complexities of evaluation and which have been tried and tested in workshops and teaching. The reader will find this an invaluable overview and reference book for understanding the increasingly important role that evaluation is playing in everyday clinical, managerial and policymaking work.

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.