RAND Research Report 2019
- How can evaluations of complex interventions, such as services for older people in the UK, be improved? Findings from workshops with evaluators, commissioners of evaluations and services, and those delivering services:
- Evaluations were too often not focused on major challenges and consequently findings were 'unsurprising' or even trivial
- Evaluation findings were often not available when decisions had to be made.
- Evaluations were often designed as stand-alone pieces rather than building on previous evaluations and contributing to future evaluations
- Competition, a lack of clarity in communication, and poor knowledge management/mobilisation led to a reluctance to share information, pool data, or drew on the evaluations of potential competitors.
- Evaluations often failed to use routine data and ignored the costs imposed on service providers and users
