Collecting Basic Evaluation Information Chapter Six

Participant Consent  Must secure liability waivers before participation  Client consent forms for testing  Are clients fully informed  Clients can ask questions  Withdraw without penalty  Permission before assessment

Participant Consent cont…  Totally voluntary  Stop at any time  Confidential  Follow-up times  Printed name  Signature  6.1 page 88

Confidentiality  Assure clients of confidentiality in writing  A lot of personal information  Credit card info and phone numbers  Bank accounts  Medical history forms  Emergency contacts

Securing Files  Secure files in a locked cabinet  Only program personnel have access  Have access procedures  Have authorization procedures  Computer files should have hierarchy passwords

Identifiers  Coding of each client in the system  SSN is code sometimes  Date and time are code  Birth dates are codes  Avoid the use of personal info for codes  Code data then look up names later

Profiling  Collect background info on all clients  Registration forms or medical history forms  Age and gender  Education & income level  Physically active  Where they live  Smoking or not

Profiling cont…  Are you reaching your intended audience?  Does clientele change over time?  Comparing with other agencies  Most frequent users  Comparing users to drop-outs  Which types of clients benefit most  You need a questionnaire

Profiling cont…  6.4 page 92  Part A is general info  Part B is background health history  Part C is present physical activity  Part D is program content  Form can be modified to meet any needs  New client forms primarily

Tracking Participation  Attendance rates are needed  Compare users vs. drop-outs  Basically assume that users get benefits  Outcome evaluation requires attendance  Proper rates involve individual user rates  Give each client a log or form  Monitoring usage rates tell peak times for exercise

Tracking Participation cont…  Monitoring classes is easy  Monitoring pool and treadmills is more difficult  Have clients submit logs for evaluation  Get a snapshot of usage on one day  Sample during different times  Staff revolve around facility and record usage  Get individual usage and demographics

Absentees  Get inactive members before they become drop- outs  Flag members not present for specified time  Instructors can help with absentees  Send letters through the mail  Phone calls lasting only 5 min can resume action  6.5 page 98

Absentees cont…  Contact absentees  Encourage resumption  Get reasons for absence  Get a focus group for drop-outs  May work in a corporate environment  May not work for dissatisfied customers  Focus groups next time