The process of measuring and comparing service utilization - Essay Example

Assignment 4 al Affiliation Assignment 4 The purpose of this study was to identify the variations and differences that occur with respect to how Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams operate to perform an economic program evaluation. The researchers not that the model has not received enough attention especially concerning its essential elements on program implementation (Dewa, Horgan, Russell & Keates, 2001). Therefore, they contribute to this issue by describing their experiences in the development of multi-program analysis and costing evaluation of ACT.

The information provided in the study helps to develop effective and efficient mental health evaluations. The methodology that was used in the research was mixed-methods. The researchers used a form that had input from the teams incorporating the basic data that they were collecting. The form allowed them to collect information such as contact location, the persons at the contact, unusual activities, indirect client activity and direct client activity type. This method allowed the researchers to collect valuable information that would help them to collect the required data while ensuring that they minimized the burden associated with the exercise.

For this kind of study, the methodology did not have any flaws. The findings of the research indicate that most community mental health programs do not possess the relevant resources to build or buy the types of systems that would help to record notes about clients and the activities that they participate in (Dewa, Horgan, Russell & Keates, 2001). This means that it was difficult to have timely, consistent and accessible information for all community support and services which make it difficult to conduct the evaluations.

The research does not provide adequate statistical data. Instead, most of the data provided is descriptive. Nevertheless, the findings have practical significance because of the value it has for program evaluation purposes and administrative purposes in terms of making key decisions on prioritization, planning and staffing needs (Dewa, Horgan, Russell & Keates, 2001). The authors considered all the relevant studies in the sense that they included information from previous researches and contributions from different authors in to the study in form of a background study.

The consideration of the studies helped the researchers gain an understanding of the current states of affairs as they relate to the topic of study pointing out that most studies have not given it importance. The authors have discussed all the relevant limitations because they included a section on the challenges that they encountered and a table showing this. For example, the authors acknowledge that the nature of the VACT research questions only allowed them to select programs based on variations in governance, philosophies and organizational cultures something, which presented a challenge in terms of collective comparable service use data (Dewa, Horgan, Russell & Keates, 2001).

The conclusions are justified based on the results presented because the authors provide a conclusion that is entirely linked to the data that they collected. However, it is essential to note that the conclusion provided is very short and does not adequately provide information judging by the fact that the data collected was too much. The study fits with other researches on the subject as it mentions that other studies have failed to address essential components of the model and tries to provide information that can lead towards that understanding.

The results are relevant for Public Administration setting especially because the researchers mention that the study can be used for administrative purposes such as priority areas, service planning and staffing (Dewa, Horgan, Russell & Keates, 2001). Reference Dewa, C.C., Horgan, S., Russell, M. & Keates, J (2001). What? Another form? The process of measuring and comparing service utilization in a community mental health program model. Evaluation and Program Planning, 24, pp 239-247.