The CommonWell services are being piloted at sites in four European countries since autumn 2010; pilots will run until January 2012. The necessary equipment was installed in the homes of the users and at the service centres of the care provider partners. Service delivery processes at the providers were adapted and end-users as well as carers were familiarized with the new CommonWell platform and services.
The pilots are being evaluated to gain a better understanding of the new services' added value, user benefits and acceptance, quality of life impacts and economic viability. The CommonWell evaluation framework utilises a multi-method and multi-perspective approach, involving end users, family carers, service provider staff and key informants at corporate level.
Seven dimensions are included in the conceptual framework for the evaluation:
| Stakeholder perspectives | ||||
| End user/carer |
Service provider staff |
Organisational |
||
| Evaluation dimension | Client impact | X | X | X |
| Staff impact | X | X | ||
| Organisational impact | X | |||
| Technology | X | X | X | |
| Integration | X | X | X | |
| Implementation | X | X | X | |
| Global assessment | X | X | X | |
Client impact focuses on the outcomes of the CommonWell system for clients and family carers. It is assessed through client and carer questionnaires designed for the evaluation. In addition, the SF-12 quality of life measure is also being used in Veldhoven and Milton Keynes, along with disease-specific quality of life measures. Repeat measures of quality of life and client satisfaction are being taken in Veldhoven, Milton Keynes and Andalucía.
Staff impact focuses on the impacts of the CommonWell system from the staff perspective. Aspects such as job performance, workload and job satisfaction will be assessed through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The organisational impact dimension focuses on the impacts of the CommonWell system for the provide health and social care organisations. This will be assessed through the collection of service utilisation data and key informant interviews.
The technological components of the CommonWell system will be assessed from the perspectives of clients, staff and key informants via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Project implementation, integration and global assessment will also be assessed using these methods. Data on service utilisation is also being collected from the sites, derived in part from system logged data.
Data will be analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Findings will be analysed within and across sites.
Evaluation results are expected to become available early in 2012.
