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Evaluation of community mental health programs a pragmatic and theoretical conceptualization

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Summary

This paper presents an outline for the development of a time-based conceptualization of the evaluative process for community mental health programs. The suggestion is for three time-levels to be used for the establishment of goals, namely, immediate, intermediate and long-range or ultimate goals. At each of these three steps objectives are stated and certain assumptions made. Criteria for the measurement process are established also at each time-period. Finally an analogy is made comparing the evaluative process to scientific theory and diagnostic procedure.

Résumé

Ce travail présente une ébauche de développement d'une conceptualisation basée sur le temps des procédés d'évaluation des programmes de santé mentale communautaire. On suggère d'utiliser trois niveaux dans le temps pour déterminer les buts à atteindre, c'est-à-dire buts immédiats, intermédiaires et à longue échéance ou ultimes. Pour chacun de ces trois niveaux, des objectifs sont définis et certaines options sont prises. Finalement, par analogie, on compare les procédés d'évaluation à la théorie scientifique et aux méthodes diagnostiques.

Zusammenfassung

Diese Arbeit stellt einen Entwurf vor für die Entwicklung einer zeitbezogenen Kategorisierung der Erfolgsbeurteilung von gemeindepsychiatrischen Programmen. Der Vorschlag soll zur Aufstellung von Zielsetzungen für dreierlei Zeitperioden benützt werden, nämlich für sofortige, zwischenzeitliche und langzeitliche oder äußerste Zielsetzungen. Auf jeder dieser drei Stufen werden Ziele formuliert und bestimmte Annahmen gemacht. Kriterien für die Datenerhebung in jeder Zeitperiode werden ebenfalls erstellt. Am Ende wird durch den Vergleich des Beurteilungsvorgangs mit wissenschaftlicher Theorie und diagnostischem Vorgehen eine Analogie hergestellt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

    John G. Brennan

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  1. John G. Brennan
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Brennan, J.G. Evaluation of community mental health programs a pragmatic and theoretical conceptualization. Soc Psychiatry 6, 116–121 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577981

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