A validity scale for the Sharp Consumer Satisfaction Scale was developed and used in experiments to assess patients' satisfaction with community mental health centers. The scale discriminated between clients who offered suggestions and those who did not. It also improved researcher's ability to predict true scores from obtained scores. (DWH)

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which children's mental health agencies can meet the information needs they consider to be most important and also comply with recommended standards of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Projects (MHSIP). Three children's data sets representing three different agency…

Article presents a profile of associate degree mental health worker programs, considered the mental health worker curricula, and the role of the National Institute of Mental Health in developing manpower needs in mental health. (Author/RK)

Reports the implementation of a quality assurance program in Colorado mental health facilities, designed to help managers know how they were doing on operational issues. The program was simple, low cost, and easy to implement. All levels of management found it a useful tool. (Author/WAS)

By consciously applying evaluation techniques before they adopt a new program, health educators can increase the likelihood that the program will meet their needs. Guidelines are provided for posing questions about the new program, that are normally raised at the program's end, as part of summative evaluation. (Authors/PP)

A systematic approach for managers to make data-based decisions using management information systems in human services delivery settings is described. It involves a behavioral definition of management information use, the identification of behavior disruptions in information use, and an intervention designed to reduce disruptions and promote use.…

The evaluation of a health promotion program indicated that it had successfully used several approaches, including: psychophysical tests, individual health consultants, group programs, mass media, and wellness-oriented social activities. (CJ)

Conducted a management and organization development program in eight mental health agencies. Describes the stages and activities of this 18-month effort and the results of its evaluation. There were significant, positive results for almost all the participating management teams as well as for their organizations. (Author)

The paper describes the transition of service provision for 240 intellectually handicapped Australian children and their families from a relatively traditional service delivery system to one emphasizing home and family involvement and placement of services closer to home. (Author/PHR)

A Virginia elementary-secondary school blood pressure education program is described and evaluated. Evidence presented indicates that participants' cardiovascular knowledge levels increased significantly as a result of program participation. (JMF)

The concept of citizen governance has been implemented with marginal success. This paper presents an orientation and training program for citizen boards aimed at raising their competence in certain key areas including policy planning, program evaluation, public relations, organizational management and fund-raising. (Author)

This special issue focuses on several methodological issues in the evaluation of the largest mental health and substance abuse project for children and adolescents conducted at a single site, the U.S. Army's Fort Bragg Child and Adolescent Mental Health Demonstration program. The introduction and seven articles describe this program and the…

Two evaluation studies using qualitative methods are described to illustrate the appropriateness of such methods for certain research questions. Ways to enhance reliability and validity are also discussed in the descriptions of the evaluations of 16 emergency medical services and 13 local health departments. (SLD)

In the evaluation of a treatment program for veterans of the Lebanon War suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, repeated administration of self-report instruments revealed no improvement in symptoms and social functioning. These findings conflicted with the positive evaluations of the program by participants (N=41) and therapists. (SLD)