Conference Abstract Compendium Examples from the ... - CityMatCH

2009 CityMatCH Urban MCH Leadership ConferenceUsing qualitative methods to assess client satisfaction: Results of a telephone surveyPRIMARY CONTACT:Angela M. Horvath, Ph.D.St. Petersburg Healthy Start Federal Project EvaluatorPinellas County Health Department205 Dr. MLK Jr. Street, NSt. Petersburg, FL, 33701Phone: (727) 824-6900 Ext. 11434Fax: (727) 820-4278Email: angela_horvath@doh.state.fl.usWebsite: PinellasHealth.comCATEGORYRacial and ethnic health disparitiesFOCUSData FocusBACKGROUNDAssessing client satisfaction with community programs is a vital component in program evaluation. Clientsatisfaction provides evidence of success as well as gaps from the client perspective. The St. PetersburgHealthy Start Federal Project in Pinellas County, Florida has struggled to obtain client satisfaction data.Mailed surveys resulted in an 11% (18/164) response rate. When focus groups were planned, 19 clientsagreed to participate, however, only one individual attended. Perceived burden of paperwork, literacylimitations, transportation issues, and scheduling conflicts can all negatively impact response rates.OBJECTIVESThe current study sought to use a telephone survey to collect client feedback on their Project experiences.It was hypothesized that conducting a brief telephone survey would increase response rates because thebarriers of paperwork, transportation, literacy, and time would be addressed.METHODSVia a database, all clients who had received a face-to-face service from Project staff between January2007 and December 2008 were compiled into a list of 442 clients. Attempts were made to contact all 442clients, resulting in 103 completed surveys. The survey contained seven questions and took approximatelyten minutes to complete. Feedback was gathered on topics such as the Project’s helpfulness andsuggestions for improvement. Responses were entered into a spreadsheet, and independently contentanalyzed by two staff.RESULTSResults were organized by themes that emerged from the content analysis and the number of respondentsrepresented by each theme. Results indicate a general level of satisfaction. Examples of positive themesincluded (client statements in quotes):97