Abstract

In an age of increased concern for accountability and the review of services, administrators of health programs should be able to present their clinics effectiveness, and demonstrate their excellent service to the community, along with providing evidence for the continued need of such clinics. Outcome evaluation plays an integral part in providing this information, and is intended to provide information concerning the effectiveness of a particular program, thus allowing for modification, and even better outcomes.

This project addressed pre and post functioning in children referred for academic and/or behavioral difficulties, in a university of health sciences-based clinic. The aim was to determine if assessment measures, results, and recommendations were beneficial to children, in assisting their family and school in meeting their special needs. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate individual, and group changes in children seen by the clinic, and assessed their current psychosocial functioning at home, and in academic settings. Additionally, parents were asked to comment on program effectiveness, services, and their satisfaction with the assessment process.

The study included 17 respondents, willing to participate in the evaluation. In general, most parents felt that their children had improved since the time of the first assessment. Child improvement and overall satisfaction were found to be significantly correlated with the ability to understand the clinician during the assessment, feedback, and in the written report, and the usefulness of the recommendations and referrals made by the clinic.

Parents made several suggestions for improvements in clinic policy, including the desire for a follow-up, assistance with insurance reimbursement, and assistance in obtaining appointments with specialists following the assessment. Future directions may include using standardized measures of evaluation on a regular interval, further investigation into the relationship of referrals and recommendations and child improvement, the relationship between low response rates and satisfaction, and methods to obtain more responses during future evaluations.

LLU Discipline

Psychology

Department

Psychology

School

School of Science and Technology

First Advisor

Kiti Freier

Second Advisor

Kimberly Freeman

Third Advisor

Matt Riggs

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Degree Level

Psych.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2006

Date (Title Page)

9-2006

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Community Mental Health Services -- standards; Child Guidance Clinics; Quality of Health Care. Program Evaluation. Child Psychiatry.

Type

Thesis

Page Count

xiv; 163

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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