Manual Wheelchairs - World Health Organization

94 I guIdelInes on the provIsIon of manual wheelchaIrs In less resourced settIngs
Table 3.6. Suggestions for gathering evaluation information for some key service areas
Service area Evaluation information
Quality of service
delivery
Users served and
the intervention
they received
Cost of service,
including cost
of products and
service delivery
Staffing
(numbers of
personnel and
their roles and
competences)
Facilities and
equipment
available to the
service
Impact on
users and their
families
The good practice recommendations made in Section 3.3 of these guidelines can be used as
criteria to assist in evaluating the quality of service delivery.
Information from ongoing monitoring should enable evaluators to quantify the number of users
provided with a wheelchair, training and follow-up; the different types of wheelchair provided;
and the number of users with needs that could not be met by the service. A thorough evaluation
would also include information on users accessing the service, including age, gender, ethnicity,
disability and home location.
Information from ongoing monitoring should enable evaluators to review and summarize the
cost of the service.
An audit of accounts may also be used to determine the cost of products and services.
evaluators can assess numbers and roles of personnel by talking to service management or
reviewing personnel records.
Staff competences can be assessed by observing personnel carrying out their duties. Some of the
good practice recommendations in Section 3.3, the personnel roles described in Section 3.4.3
and the clinical competences summarized in Section 5.3.3 can be used as criteria to assist in
evaluating personnel competence.
Staff educational records should be reviewed to help determine competences and professional
development.
Feedback from users and individual interviews with personnel can help to identify strengths and
weaknesses in the staffing structure.
evaluators can assess the suitability of facilities and equipment by observing the service in
practice.
Feedback from users and individual interviews with personnel can help to identify any strengths
and weaknesses in service facilities.
Information may be gathered from users and their families on the impact of the service.
Measures can include increased participation in family or community activities (for example
education, employment in or outside of the home, participation in social activities) and increased
earning potential of wheelchair users or their families. Methods of gathering information include
the following.
• Evaluators may review assessment and follow-up forms. Assessment forms can provide
information about users and their families before they receive a wheelchair through the service.
Follow-up reports can provide information about how the service has affected the lives of the
user and his/her family.
• Home visits will enable evaluators to meet the users of the service and see for themselves what
impact there has been. Home visits may provide additional information not gained through a
follow-up appointment carried out at the service.
• A detailed survey may be developed to assess the service impact on the quality of life of users,
including participation in school, employment and other activities.
• Users (and family members) may be gathered as a focus group to provide evaluators with
information about how they believe the service has affected them.