A scoping review of knowledge syntheses in the field of evaluation across four decades of practice

This scoping review of 62 knowledge syntheses published in evaluation-focused journals between 1979 and May 2018 provides a portrait of synthesis practices and their evolution in the mainstream of the field of evaluation. Concerns surrounding the production of knowledge syntheses to answer policy questions are not new in the field of evaluation. However, during this last decade, knowledge synthesis methods have expanded as a means to go beyond the limits and constraints of singular evaluations. This scoping review reveals and discusses two key issues with regards to the expansion of knowledge synthesis practices within the field of evaluation: the diversity—and muddling— of methodological practices and synthesis designs, and the frequent omission of quality appraisals.     

Are the voices of parents heard? A scoping review of satisfaction in parenting programs

Parenting programs are an effective approach to promote positive parenting. In evidence-based practice, client’s values and preferences contribute to promoting quality, and are a crucial component of service evaluation. The current scoping review summarizes quantitative research that examines parental satisfaction with parent training for families with child conduct problems. We aimed to know how much research had been undertaken; what measures have been used; and what were the findings related to parental satisfaction. A scoping review was conducted to retrieve peer-reviewed original articles.Out of 420 papers 5.5 % obtained data on parental satisfaction. Seven different measures were used, mainly Therapy Attitude Inventory and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. Out of 23 papers, ten studies reported Cronbach's alpha coefficients on the assessment that was used to evaluate parental satisfaction. All of the 23 included studies found that parents are very satisfied with the parenting program they have received.The findings indicate that only a few studies included parents’ values and preferences in quantitative evaluation studies on parental programs. In addition, there is a limited arsenal of assessment tools to measure what matters to parents. There is a need to develop measures with high psychometric quality, which will promote more quality in service evaluation.     

A scoping study of moral injury: Identifying directions for social work research

This paper presents a scoping study of moral injury that identified directions for social work research. “Moral injury” refers to lasting psychological, spiritual and social harm caused by one's own or others' actions in a high stakes situation that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. A “scoping study” is a type of systematic review and knowledge synthesis useful when considering complex, emerging areas of research. Results revealed an increasing interest in moral injury over the past five years primarily in psychology/psychiatry. The majority of published articles are conceptual. Empirical studies aim to better understand the experience of moral injury, qualitatively; and develop and evaluate instruments to assess moral injury, quantitatively. Most empirical studies of moral injury involve US war veterans with little attention to moral injury in other groups, sociocultural contexts, or at different times in development. Failure to address issues of moral injury in social work may leave vulnerable clients struggling with issues of guilt, shame, moral confusion, and an absence of meaning that may persist for years and create obstacles to positive change. In addition, social workers may experience moral injury as they witness morally injurious behavior of others and of systems. If unaddressed, such injuries may diminish effectiveness, or lead to burn out. Social workers need relevant research to understand the extent to which moral injury affects them and their clients, and how to identify and address it.     

Psychological Interventions for Transgender Persons: A Scoping Review

This study aimed to investigate psychological interventions for transgender persons, aiming to highlight their goals, theoretical background and methods. A scoping review was conducted in four databases, ranging from 1980 to 2015. Selection led to a final sample of 36 articles. The goals of psychological interventions are unclearly described in many studies. Different background theories were identified and in some studies, these were not clearly explained and presented no epistemological considerations. The publishing of more empirical studies, with an affirmative standpoint toward gender identity and stricter scientific rigor, is needed to support and strengthen interventions.     

Albinism,spiritual and cultural practices,and implications for health,healthcare, and human rights: a scoping review

Persons with albinism – a disability found worldwide – are particularly at risk for human rights violations in Africa. The purpose of this scoping review was to establish the current state of knowledge on albinism, spiritual and cultural practices, and implications for health and health services. Electronic searches of nine databases were conducted. After screening, 40 articles were reviewed. Four themes emerged: health implications of albinism; health-related cultural and spiritual meanings attached to albinism; health-related experiences of persons with albinism; and human rights and albinism. The findings reveal that African ontologies, including witchcraft beliefs and practices, are implicated by their construction of the person with albinism as an ontologically different entity, although few studies explicated this relationship. How broader social structures influence persons with albinism disproportionately, resulting in health and social inequities, is another under-researched area. This scoping review lays the groundwork for intersectoral, interdisciplinary research.     

Interventions for youth aging out of care: A scoping review

Youth aging out the child welfare system are being transitioned out of the child welfare system with few interventions in place to support their move to independence. In developed countries, compared to their peers, youth aging out of care face poorer outcomes when it comes to education, employment, and housing. A better understanding of the effectiveness of the existing interventions that support youth in care is warranted. This paper presents a critical scoping review of the available evidence on interventions available to youth who are aging out of the child welfare system and identifies gaps for future research. Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews shaped the process of this review. A total of thirteen databases were searched resulting in the retrieval of 1978 articles. Of the 1978 retrieved, only 68 met the review's criteria. Studies included were in English, described an intervention that was implemented and evaluated in developed countries, and published within the last 20 years. Interventions were categorized as: housing, employment, education, mentorship, independent living, and health. The majority of studies fell under the independent living category which provide cohesive resources to improve education, housing, and employment. Studies evaluating these programs generally reported positive outcomes on youth's ability to complete their education and attain part- or full-time employment. Methods of evaluations were found to be methodologically weak with respect to determining the effectiveness of interventions in ensuring youth's successful transitions to independence. Future research should look at longitudinal outcomes of youth and cost-benefit analysis of supporting youth transitioning out of the child welfare system. Recommendations also include policy changes extending the age of eligibility for youth transitioning out of the child welfare system.     

The unique effects of environmental strategies in health promotion campaigns: a review

Various strategies are used as tools in health promotion campaigns to increase health-related outcomes among target populations. Evaluations of these campaigns examine effects on changing people's knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors. Most evaluations examine the combined impact of multiple strategies. Less is known about the unique effects of particular strategies. To address this gap, we used highly systematic methods to identify and review scientifically rigorous evaluations of 18 campaigns that examined the unique effects of three sets of intervention strategies (entertainment education, law enforcement, and mass media) on changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practice with regard to various health behaviors. Results showed differences in evaluation processes based on the type of strategy used to promote campaign messages. For instance, evaluations of mass-media based campaigns were more likely to examine changes in knowledge, relative to evaluations of campaigns that used law enforcement strategies. In addition, campaign effects varied by particular strategies. Mass media-based campaigns were more likely to affect knowledge, relative to behaviors. Law enforcement and entertainment education-based campaigns showed positive effects on behaviors. The implications for planning and evaluating health promotion campaigns are described.     

Barriers and enablers to conducting cluster randomized control trials in hospitals: A theory-informed scoping review

BackgroundCluster randomized control trials (cRCTs) have unique challenges compared to single site trials with regards to conduct of the trial, and it is important to understand these barriers. The aim of this scoping review was to describe the current literature surrounding the implementation of the cRCTs in hospitals.MethodsThe search strategy was designed to identify literature relevant to conduct of cRCTs, with hospitals as the unit of randomization. Data was extracted and was mapped using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a codebook, which contains 39 constructs organized into five domains.ResultsTwenty-two articles met inclusion criteria and were included. 18 of 39 constructs of the CFIR were identified in coding, spanning four of the five domains. Barriers to the conduct of the trial were rarely reported as the main outcome of the study, and few details were included in the identified literature.ConclusionsThe review can provide guidance to future researchers planning cRCTs in hospitals. It also identified a large gap in reporting of conduct of these trials, demonstrating the need for a research agenda that further explores the barriers and facilitators, with the aim of garnering knowledge for improved guidance in the implementation.     

Assessing Participation and Effectiveness of the Peer-Led Approach in Youth Sexual Health Education: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in More Developed Countries

Sexual health education for young people is crucial not only for development of norms but also for protection against vulnerabilities during this stage in life. Although several systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of peer-led sex education, none have focused on the extent of peer participation. The purpose of this review was to evaluate peer-led sexual health education interventions in more developed countries (MDCs). Electronic and manual searches across five social science, education, and medical databases were conducted. Fifteen articles were selected in total. Most (10 of 15) studies gave low or no responsibility to peers. The majority of articles found improvements in sexual health knowledge (13 of 14) and attitudes (11 of 15) at postintervention stages. Two studies showed improved self-efficacy, and three showed behavioral changes. A preliminary synthesis of effectiveness and level of participation was done. Meta-analysis revealed a large effect on knowledge change (Hedges’ g = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43 to 1.25) and a medium effect on attitude change (Hedges’ g = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.80). Peer-led interventions could be a powerful tool. This review shows that this approach is effective in changing knowledge and attitudes but not behaviors. Further research and action are needed to understand optimal implementation.     

Assessment in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Review of Clinical Updates for Family Therapists

This article presents information from an integrative literature review that examined assessment processes presented to marriage and family therapists in Clinical Updates for Family Therapists, Volumes 1 (2005), 2 (2006), and 3 (2007). The study was based on the concern that marriage and family therapy is losing its systemic relational focus as practitioners must comply with diagnosis models using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Using integrative literature review methods, similar to qualitative research, 54 articles were deconstructed to identify assessment tools and diagnostic processes being presented as best practice. Of the 54 articles, 96% identified the importance of having a family or couple relational perspective for working with individuals with mental disorders; however, only 54% provided any explanation to how this could be accomplished. These findings suggest a need to increase the identification of unique, relational assessment practices in articles that offer best practice techniques in marriage and family therapy.     

What Does Parental Divorce or Marital Separation Mean for Adolescents? A Scoping Review of North American Literature

Parental divorce in North America and the resulting changes to the traditional family unit as seen in current academic literature are troubling. These changes are especially worrisome as they relate to adolescent life and development. This scoping review examines the past 11 years of North American English language literature concerning adolescents who have experienced parental divorce. Literature was taken from health-related databases using the search terms adolescent and divorce. The resulting articles were analyzed and pared down to 53 papers that adhered to predetermined criteria. Analysis revealed trends in how the studies are conducted as well as seven themes throughout the literature. The authors suggest future research directions based on the trends, themes, and found knowledge gaps in the recent literature.     

Extending the scoping review framework: a guide for interdisciplinary researchers

ABSTRACT

Reviews of literature are conducted within academia to summarize and highlight gaps in findings and research approaches associated with a particular line of inquiry. Identifying sources to be included in reviews in rigorous ways can be challenging for interdisciplinary research topics, as relevant articles may be found in a wide variety of sources. Guidelines on conducting reviews rarely include step-by-step methods of identifying articles. Thus, this research note extends an existing scoping review framework by adding a more systematic method of manual searching to the common database search. As demonstrated through the application, one single rigours method of source identification is not sufficient for identifying articles in an interdisciplinary line of inquiry. The described systematic manual search presents a complementary method to the database search, rather than as a supplementary method to assists researchers in their searches of interdisciplinary topics.     

Evidence from the field: Findings on issues related to planning,implementing and evaluating gender-based programs

An Initiative of the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women's Health (OWH), Coalition for a Healthier Community (CHC), supports ten grantees across the U.S. in the implementation of gender-based health interventions targeting women and girls. A national evaluation is assessing whether gender-focused public health systems approaches are sustainable and cost effective in addressing health disparities in women and girls. To inform the evaluation, a systematic examination was conducted of literature in both the public and private sector designed to track, assess, understand, and improve women's health, public health systems approaches, and the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of gender-based programs. A two-person team assured the quality of the results following the review of abstracts and full-text articles. Of 123 articles meeting eligibility criteria (See inclusion criteria described in Section 2.2 below), only 18 met inclusion criteria specific to a focus on a systems approach, cost-effectiveness and/or sustainability. Studies assessing systems approaches suggested their effectiveness in changing perceptions and increasing knowledge within a community; increasing involvement of local decision-makers and other community leaders in women's health issues; and increasing community capacity to address women and girls’ health. Further evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of gender-based approaches is needed.     

Social Work Supervision of Staff: A Primer and Scoping Review (2013–2017)

Supervision of staff has a rich history within the social work profession, and is widely valued internationally for the support, knowledge, and skill it is perceived to provide. Moreover, quality supervision is championed for ensuring good client care. However, supervisors practicing within the social work profession have not typically had access to best practice information, nor accessed the parallel research related to the supervision of staff. A supervision primer provides an orientation to the supervision literature, including definitions and disciplinary perspectives. This sets the stage for a scoping review of social work supervision articles for the purpose of supporting supervisors in keeping current, locating, understanding, and applying literature to their practice. Seventy-nine conceptual and empirical articles first-authored by social workers were published in 36 journals between 2013 and 2017. The volume, location, context and nature of these articles are presented, pointing to an increased social work presence in the literature. Implications for supervisory practice, scholarship, and research are discussed.     

Passion for gambling: a scoping review

Investigating factors that influence a person’s ability to control gambling behaviour is important. The Dualistic Model of Passion, which includes both harmonious and obsessive passion, has proposed an original framework for studying these factors. However, the concept of passion as it pertains to the gambling experience remains relatively new and uncharted territory. This study entails a scoping review undertaken to determine the current state of knowledge concerning passion for gambling, and to provide recommendations for future research directions. The majority of studies included report a positive association between obsessive passion and gambling problems, whereas results related to harmonious passion were less consistent. Recommendations stemming from this scoping review include refining understanding of the relationship between obsessive passion and gambling problems, and broadening research aims to include more diverse sampling, methods and variables of interest when examining the overall contribution of passion to gamblers’ lived experiences. A final recommendation is to initiate research to test the utility of the Gambling Passion Scale in prevention and intervention programming.     

Gamblers Anonymous as a Recovery Pathway: A Scoping Review

Given the preponderance of Gamblers Anonymous (GA), there has been relatively little effort to explore the existing evidence base on its effectiveness as a recovery approach for problem gambling. To remedy this gap in the literature we conducted a scoping review of the literature on mutual aid for individuals experiencing problem gambling published between 2002 and 2015. We searched 13 databases and reviewed reference lists and websites of relevant organizations. We reviewed records for eligibility and extracted relevant data from eligible articles. Three reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We identified 17 studies in 25 publications that were eligible for inclusion. Most studies were conducted in the United States, were cross-sectional in design, and involved both male and female adult participants. Results indicate that the evidence for the effectiveness of GA either as a control condition or in conjunction with formal treatment or medication is inconsistent. An emphasis on patience, using the Serenity Prayer as a way to gain acceptance of financial matters and reality, and absolute assertion of identity as a “compulsive gambler” were identified as important aspects of GA’s recovery culture. There is a need for large-scale randomized controlled trials to determine GA’s effectiveness, as well as research exploring the mechanisms through which GA works, barriers to GA as a recovery approach, and the status of women in the fellowship.     

The Effectiveness of Educational Programs to Improve Recognition and Reporting of Elder Abuse and Neglect: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Health professionals often lack adequate protocols or knowledge to detect, manage, and prevent elder maltreatment. This systematic review describes and evaluates existing literature on the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve health professionals' recognition and reporting of elder abuse and neglect. Fourteen articles described 22 programs ranging from brief didactics to experiential learning and targeted a variety of health and social service audiences. Most evaluations were limited to satisfaction measures. These programs may result in increased awareness, collaboration, and improved case finding. However, using the published literature to guide new program planning is constrained by lack of details and limited evaluations.     

Evaluation of the public health achievements made by projects supported by a federal contract mechanism at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA

In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Achieving Public Health Impact through Research (APHIR) contract mechanism. APHIR provides CDC’s Centers, Institute, and Offices (CIOs) a mechanism that supports multiyear, high impact public health research. Awarded projects supported research on a wide range of topics (e.g., cancer surveillance, HIV education programs, development of biological assays, and evaluation of traumatic brain injury prevention programs) and achieved diverse outcomes (e.g., contribution to the body of knowledge in their field, changes in practice and health service delivery, and capacity building). This article describes how existing impact frameworks and a variety of methods and tools (key informant interviews, online survey, bibliometric analysis, Altmetric and document reviews) were used to identify the outcomes achieved by awarded projects. The approach discussed in this paper can be used to evaluate projects that involve a diversity of activities and outcomes.     

Geospatial Indicators of Space and Place: A Review of Multilevel Studies of HIV Prevention and Care Outcomes Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM), particularly YMSM who are racial/ethnic minorities, are disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States. These HIV disparities have been linked to demographic, social, and physical geospatial characteristics. The objective of this scoping review was to summarize the existing evidence from multilevel studies examining how geospatial characteristics are associated with HIV prevention and care outcomes among YMSM populations. Our literature search uncovered 126 peer-reviewed articles, of which 17 were eligible for inclusion based on our review criteria. Nine studies examined geospatial characteristics as predictors of HIV prevention outcomes. Nine of the 17 studies reported HIV care outcomes. From the synthesis regarding the current state of research around geospatial correlates of behavioral and biological HIV risk, we propose strategies to move the field forward in order to inform the design of future multilevel research and intervention studies for this population.