Evidence of impact

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Research and Evaluate

Researching and evaluating the impact of K2A approaches helps to build the evidence base for knowledge into action methods, and to identify transferable approaches that can be used in different settings.  

No matter how large or small your project implementing knowledge is it is important to consider how you can measure the impact, you can then spread the news to help others.

There are a range of frameworks and tools you can use and it may be helpful to discuss with a librarian or improvement adviser.

Below are some ideas that may help you.

Top tips

Plan your evaluation from the beginning so you build in measurement 

What is your base line so you know there is an improvement?

What do you hope to achieve / What will better look like?

How will you know there is improvement?

You may need to wait to take the final measurement after the improvement has embedded in practice

Measurement can be numbers or reports of experiences

Knowledge into Action Evaluation
Evaluation

 

 

 

K2A Evaluation is based on a contribution analysis framework. The intervention is measured using an outcomes chain.  For a more indepth outline, worked example, and template, see chapter 7, table 8, and figure 7 of the KiA for NHSScotland: Methods, Strategic National Projects and Evaluation Framework, 2013.

NHS Quality Improvement Zone

The aim of improvement endeavours in healthcare is to make services better. That might be: safer (less errors, infections, falls), more effective (delivering care that is based on science - neither over nor under treating), more efficient (less waste), more person-centred (caring, compassionate, fitting with patient/family requests), equitable or timely.

To understand whether we have reached our aims we need to define what our chosen 'better' state would look like, and measure things to know if the changes we make result in the improvements we seek.

Measurement for improvement asks questions like:

•What does "better" look like?

•How will we recognise better when we see it?

•How do we know if a change is an improvement?

Without change we won't make improvements. Without measurement we won't know if we have improved.

For more information see NES QI Zone

Scottish Health Council

Evaluating Participation: a guide and toolkit for health and social care practitioners

Evaluation Scotland

Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) works with third sector organisations and funders so that they can measure and report on their impact. Their aim is to make evaluation valuable, relevant and proportionate.

The website gives access to evaluation tools and support, explanation about the work with funders to make reporting more useful and shares the learning about the difference the third sector makes.

Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS) promotes self-evaluation.  By learning how to evaluate your own activity you will discover what works or doesn’t, and how to make use of that learning to measure the difference you are making. 

The focus is on outcomes and does not promote a single evaluation tool but encourages different and creative ways to engage people in evaluation.

For more information see Evaluation Scotland

Better Evaluation

Better Evaluation is an international collaboration to improve evaluation practice and theory by sharing and generating information about options (methods or processes) and approaches. Includes tools and guidance to help you plan and manage evaluation, identify methods to use and find the latest evaluation material.