Assessing Interventions : Traditional and Innovative Methods

Both traditional and innovative methods of evaluating health care interventions are explored in this volume. The major issues examined include design of qualitative research, randomized trials, surveys and analysis of large data sets. Specific examples relevant to practice are also provided.

Research methods for primary care often require adaptation of methodologies that were developed for other health care fields. To help meet the distinct needs of researchers in primary care, Assessing Interventions takes a comprehensive look at specific research methods that can be used to assess interventions in primary care settings--successfully. This information-packed volume is divided into four parts and covers such issues as assessing interventions in primary care and two major assessment strategies: quantitative methodologies (the traditional approach), and qualitative methodologies (some of which are new to primary care). It also explores topics such as principles and approaches to measures of self-report, assessing a smoking cessation intervention, and assessing primary health care delivery. The final section presents a panel discussion that outlines possible future directions; in particular, the challenge for the primary care discipline to define its own foci of research activities. Assessing Interventions will be useful for both new and experienced researchers, whether practitioner-oriented or professional. Writers and reviewers of grant applications and scientific papers will also find this volume invaluable. "The book clearly attains its goals. . . . Research by generalists for generalists and others is early in its evolution. Books like this help those who are just beginning to explore the field find support and encouragement to foster critical self-examination of what we do rather than having our practice determined by those who are not generalists. I recommend it to all, not just researchers but to those who reflect on what they do." --Canadian Family Physician