Handbook of Health Services Evaluation: Theories, Methods and Innovative Practices

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the theories, methods and practices in evaluating health services. Written by international experts and practitioners in the field, it is an essential resource for anyone who plans or conducts evaluations of health care organisations, as well as for those who want to learn more about the strengths and limitations of specific evaluation techniques and methods.

The individual chapters summarise the latest evidence and good practice of established, tried and tested evaluation approaches as well as novel and innovative evaluation techniques in clinical and health organisational settings. The handbook comprises chapters on a wide range of topics such as digital technologies, leadership in health services, trauma-informed evaluation, harm reduction in evaluation, learning health systems and collective impact design. Each chapter provides a state-of-the-art summary of the current evaluation practice together with up-to-date references to existing published research.

Axel Kaehne is Professor of Health Service Research at the Medical School Edge Hill University, Director of the Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit, Edge Hill University (UK), and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Health Organization and Management and the Journal of Integrated Care (Emerald). He is also visiting Professor at the University of Eastern Finland, and Director of Healthcare Analytics UK Ltd.

Julie Feather (PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow in the Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit at Edge Hill University (UK), and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Health Organization and Management. With a particular expertise in realist evaluation, Julie designs and leads service evaluations across the health and social care sectors working collaboratively across disciplines to inform policy and practice improvements.