Consider the various research designs presented in chapter 3. Given the goals and objectives of your social services agency identified in week 2, discuss possible research designs that could be used to evaluate outcomes at your agency. What would be the best design to answer your evaluation questions?
What would be the best sampling method for your population?
Complete the following readings:
- Fink, A. (2015). Evaluation fundamentals: Insights into program effectiveness, quality, and value (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Chapter 3: Designing Program Evaluations
- Chapter 4: Sampling
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Week 2 Discussion Evaluation
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Patients’ experiences in community mental health hospitals have continued to deteriorate, and many people in the community are reporting increased difficulties in accessing these services (Torjesen, 2022). Based on the information obtained from the interview with key personnel at the agency last week, Mental Health America offers various range of services to improve mental health involves numerous services such as promoting community support and well-being, reducing stigma, and increasing access to mental healthcare. This week, two areas of focus that I will evaluate for effectiveness in the agency will be increasing access to mental health and reducing stigma.
1. Reducing Stigma
Program Goal: The goal of this program is to ensure that the agency focuses on mental health stigma reduction, this will be achieved by fostering an inclusive community environment and educating members of the public.
Evaluation Question: To what degree do MHA’s educational initiatives impact the reduction of mental health stigma and discrimination in the community?
Evidence: According to Colizzi et al. (2020) prevention, promotion, and early intervention strategies on mental health have a significant impact on the well-being and health of the people in the community. Therefore, the success of this program will be demonstrated I post-intervention research shows that there is a significant reduction in stereotypes, and misconceptions about mental health when compared to the data before the program.
Data Collection: To effectively evaluate the success of the program, data on variables such as attitudes toward mental health patients and rates of stigma pre- and post-intervention will be key.
2. Increasing Mental Healthcare Access
Program Goal: The goal of this program will be to improve access to mental healthcare services for populations that have limited access by removing systemic, financial, and geographic barriers that prevent them from accessing the care.
Evaluation Question: How much does MHA contribute to improving access to mental health services for hard-to-reach populations?
Evidence: The program will measure improvement in mental health access, the success of this program will be demonstrated through the change in numbers, an increase in mental health access among the minority and underserved populations and a reduction in the amount of time they spend waiting will be a crucial measure of success.
Data Collection: Various variables will be crucial in highlighting the desired changes, these variables include several referrals made compared to those that were fulfilled within a specific time, rates of utilization of the service, and demographics of the mental health patients.
Generally, when collecting client data for both services, you should be mindful of maintaining confidentiality and obtaining informed consent as stated in the ethical standards. The evaluation process can be based on the guidelines for evidence-based practices in program evaluation provided by Fink (2015) and used in the current study. Stigma reduction and access enhancement are two of the main goals of MHA and it is important to appreciate the extent to which MHA is achieving these goals. The evaluation will be evidence-based and outcomes-based with case measurement of change in attitude within the target population or community and the effective rates of utilization of the services offered. Ethical standards such as the guarantee of confidentiality and informed consent will be used to ensure privacy.
References
Colizzi, M., Lasalvia, A., & Ruggeri, M. (2020). Prevention and early intervention in youth mental health: is it time for a multidisciplinary and trans-diagnostic model for care? International journal of mental health systems, 14, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00356-9
Fink, A. (2015). Evaluation fundamentals: Insights into program effectiveness, quality, and value (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Torjesen, I. (2022). Access to community mental health services continues to deteriorate, survey finds. BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online), 379, o2585. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2585