Can a workbook work? Examining whether a practitioner evaluation toolkit can promote instrumental use

Area of Science:

• Program Evaluation
• Public Health Practice
• Capacity Building

Background:

• Practitioner-oriented evaluation toolkits are common for building evaluation capacity in large-scale projects.
• Limited research exists on the effectiveness of these toolkits in fostering evaluation design, implementation, and use.
• This study addresses the gap by examining a toolkit's impact on local evaluations and findings utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a practitioner evaluation toolkit and technical assistance in promoting successful local evaluations.
• To determine the extent to which toolkit users instrumentally used evaluation findings to improve practice.
• To explore implications for enhancing evaluation capacity in multi-site settings.

Main Methods:

• A multi-site project developed and implemented a practitioner evaluation toolkit.
• Forensic nurse practitioners from six dispersed service programs utilized the toolkit and received technical assistance.
• The study evaluated the completion of rigorous local evaluations and the instrumental use of findings.

Main Results:

• All six participating forensic nurse programs successfully completed methodologically rigorous local evaluations.
• All six programs demonstrated instrumental use of evaluation findings, leading to programmatic changes.
• The toolkit and technical assistance were effective in promoting evaluation capacity and utilization.

Conclusions:

• Practitioner evaluation toolkits, when coupled with technical assistance, can effectively build evaluation capacity.
• These resources facilitate the successful design, implementation, and instrumental use of evaluation findings in practice settings.
• The findings offer valuable insights for developing and disseminating similar resources in other large-scale, multi-site initiatives.