Compassionate communities: How to assess their benefit? A protocol of a collaborative study between different...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• Compassionate Communities (CCs) initiatives receive significant investment but their impact remains unevaluated.
• There is a critical need for a robust model to assess the effectiveness and value of CC programs.
• Lack of measurable outcomes hinders the understanding of CCs' true benefit.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a core set of outcomes for evaluating the impact of Compassionate Communities (CCs).
• To establish the foundation for a comprehensive CC evaluation model.
• To provide evidence for the continued investment and development of CC initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A multiple-methods study across three international communities (Argentina, Colombia, Switzerland).
• Involved citizens, implementing organizations, and political sectors in Bern, Buenos Aires, and Medellin.
• Utilized online meetings, literature review, fieldwork, Delphi survey, and social transfer.

Main Results:

• The study is in progress, focusing on identifying core outcomes as the first step.
• Community members and stakeholders at multiple levels are engaged in the process.
• Ethical considerations are being addressed, with approvals in progress or obtained.

Conclusions:

• The project is expected to significantly enhance the understanding of CCs' measurable impact.
• Findings will inform future development and refinement of Compassionate Communities programs.
• Bridging the knowledge gap on CC effectiveness is a primary goal.