SWO 5384 - Program Evaluation for Practice Improvement

The importance of a strong evidence-base is widely recognised in contemporary health, social care and education practice, meaning that there is a real need for research which can be quickly and easily translated into real world situations. Research co-produced by practitioners and academics from early stages to end results can draw on each party's knowledge and experience, in order to create high quality evidence that is relevant and appropriate to practice needs. This guide introduces the basics of co-producing research, looking at the evidence for co-produced research and outlining its theoretical underpinnings, as well as discussing barriers and facilitators to consider. It includes a practitioner perspective and an academic perspective on the benefits and challenges of co-produced research. The substantive chapters are each co-written by an academic and practitioner team and give examples of work carried out - and lessons learned - in public health, education and criminal justice settings. Key learning points are included throughout and drawn together to comprise a toolkit at the end of the book. This book teaches academics and practitioners more about how they can find practical evidence-based answers to complex questions.

In Critical Thinking and the Process of Evidence-Based Practice, Eileen Gambrill provides a detailed description of the process of evidence-based practice (EBP), designed to help individual practitioners and their clients make informed decisions. This book clearly distinguishes EBP from the promotion of EBPs, and discusses the origins of the process as well as related controversies and implementation obstacles.