The reciprocal effects of program evaluation on service delivery for the SPNS adolescent HIV outreach and treatment programs

Bell, Douglas N; Botwinick, Geri; Martinez, Jaime; Sell, Randall L; Shaw, Kimberly; Walker, Lynn E; Sotheran, Jo L; Johnson, Robert L; Friedman, Lawrence B; Dodds, Sally; Siciliano, Carl

doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(03)00155-1

« PreviousJournal of Adolescent Health
Volume 33, Issue 2, Supplement , Pages 55-65, August 2003

The reciprocal effects of program evaluation on service delivery for the SPNS adolescent HIV outreach and treatment programs

Douglas N Bell, Ph.D.
- Division of Adolescent Medicine, Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois, USA (D.N.B, J.M.)
Geri Botwinick, M.P.A.
- Mailman Segal Institute for Childhood Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA (K.S.)
Jaime Martinez, M.D.
- Division of Adolescent Medicine, Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois, USA (D.N.B, J.M.)
Randall L Sell, Sc.D.
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA (R.L.S., J.L.S.)
Kimberly Shaw, Ph.D.
- Mailman Segal Institute for Childhood Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA (K.S.)
Lynn E Walker
- SafeSpace, New York, New York, USA(L.E.W., C.S.)
Jo L Sotheran, Ph.D.
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA (R.L.S., J.L.S.)
Robert L Johnson, M.D.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UMDNJ–New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA (R.L.J., G.B.)
- Address correspondence to: Robert L. Johnson, M.D., F.A.A.P., Professor and Interim Chair of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, UMDNJ–New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07101, USA.
Lawrence B Friedman, M.D.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA (L.B.F.)
Sally Dodds, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Women’s Mental Health Programs, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA (S.D.)
Carl Siciliano
- SafeSpace, New York, New York, USA(L.E.W., C.S.)

Accepted 29 April 2003.

Abstract

Purpose

To describe the contexts within which the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Adolescent HIV Outreach and Treatment programs were evaluated, the effects their evaluations had on their respective programs and, in turn, the effects the program delivery had on the evaluations.

Method

The full range of process evaluation heuristics were used to analyze the bi-directional effects of conducting field-based, service delivery data collection.

Results

Although data collection efforts sometimes interfered with service delivery, and vice versa, several notable positive effects were disclosed.

Conclusion

Specific guidance and recommendations were provided to program designers, behavioral researchers and institutional funding decision makers. Primary amongst them was a call for research evaluation designs that allow for maximum flexibility.

Keywords: Adolescents, HIV outreach and treatment, Program evaluation, Process evaluation