Suchergebnisse

Data from a large sample of nursing homes are used to examine the association between use of nurse aide agency staff and quality. Agency use data come from a survey conducted in 2005 ( N = 2,840), and the quality indicators come from the Nursing Home Compare Web site. The authors found a nonlinear relationship between nurse aide agency levels and quality; however, in general, higher nurse aide agency levels were associated with low quality. The results have policy and practice implications, the most significant of which is that use of nurse aide agency staff of less than 14 full-time equivalents per 100 beds has little influence on quality, whereas nurse aide agency staff of more than 25 full-time equivalents per 100 beds has a substantial influence on quality.

AbstractResearch and theory on evaluation capacity building (ECB) and organizational evaluation capacity have been developing at a good pace over the past decade. On the other hand, there is a paucity of research on the nature and consequences of organizational evaluation policy. Evaluation policies are developed and implemented ultimately to inform and shape evaluation practice and its consequences. It is therefore natural to consider the interface between evaluation policy and ECB. The present exploratory descriptive study examines 52 evaluation policies from bilateral and multilateral aid agencies to explore connections between evaluation policy content and ECB principles and considerations. The results shed light on some interesting relationships; they are discussed in terms of evaluation use, evaluation purposes, and organizational leadership. The study also resulted in a revision of Trochim's (2009) definition of evaluation policy and a refinement and expansion of his eight‐category taxonomy. Implications for ongoing inquiry are considered and practical implications are offered to organization members and evaluation policy developers.