Final Report - Social Work Policy Institute

COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH AND SOCIAL WORK FINAL REPORTIncreased collaboration is needed between health and human service organizations and researchteams. This can help streamline the process of applying research to practice. Organizations oftencollect relevant client data, but may have no process for analyzing these data. Strengtheningcollaboration between service delivery entities and researchers can increase the use of data tounderstand the effectiveness of specific interventions. Regular reporting of intervention outcomesand data analysis can lead to expanded funding opportunities and can also influence policy andpractice decision-making.New technologies should be explored related to the collection and dissemination of researchfindings and creation of tools to help clinicians and consumers understand what CER is and howto draw appropriate and meaningful conclusions from it. Limitations exist in the extent to whichresearch findings are disseminated both within social work and across disciplines. Disseminationcan be as important as the research itself. Getting the information to researchers and practitionersin social work and to other professions can establish the impact and relevance of the research.It is critical to have economic evaluation of interventions in order to consider cost,cost-effectiveness, and cost utility. Economic evaluation has yet to be a regular aspect of researchdesigns. The absence of economic evaluations results in human service agencies and organizationsstruggling with selecting interventions. Such data can also address questions raised bypolicy-makers, funders, administrators and perhaps the public. The concerns that interventionswill be selected because they are the cheapest option must also be addressed, as the focus shouldbe on maximizing intervention effectiveness. Social workers can be responsible stewards of limitedpublic funding to ensure that interventions are effective and cost efficient.SOCIAL WORK POLICY INSTITUTE 20