Jos van Loon

Person-Centered Planning: Analysis of Research and Effectiveness

Person-centered planning is a well known and widely used approach to individual program planning in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its purpose is to develop collaborative supports focused on community presence, community participation, positive relationships, respect, and competence. Because there is little research on its effectiveness, our purpose here was to (a) review the current status of effectiveness research; (b) describe its effectiveness in terms of outcomes or results; and (c) discuss the effectiveness of person-centered planning in relation to evidence-based practices. Analyzed studies suggest that, overall, this planning has a positive, but moderate, impact on personal outcomes for this population. The body of evidence provided in this review is weak with regard to criteria for evidence-based research.

The influence of supports strategies, environmental factors, and client characteristics on quality of life-related personal outcomes

The concept of quality of life (QOL) is increasingly being used as a support provision and outcomes evaluation framework in the field of intellectual disability (ID). The present study used a hierarchical multiple regression research design to determine the role that available supports strategies, environmental factors, and client characteristics play in assessed quality of life-related personal outcomes. Data were collected in Arduin Foundation in The Netherlands. Participants were 186 individuals with an intellectual disability. Results indicated that QOL-outcomes were significantly impacted by the availability of support strategies, living arrangement, status of employment and level of ID.

The use of evidence-based outcomes in systems and organizations providing services and supports to persons with intellectual disability

This article describes how evidence-based outcomes (EBOs) can be used to improve clinical, managerial, and policy decisions. As a component of evidence-based practices, EBOs are defined as measures obtained from the assessment of quality of life-related indicators that are based on a cross-culturally validated quality of life conceptual and measurement model, have utility in that they can be used for multiple purposes, and have robustness in reference to reliability and validity of the assessment strategy employed. A 5-component EBO model is described that provides a framework for the activities involved in selecting, developing, and implementing evidence-based outcomes. Three international examples based on the reliable, valid, and standardized assessment of individual quality of life outcomes are presented that demonstrate how EBOs can be used to improve clinical, managerial, and policy decision making. The article concludes with a discussion of guidelines for developing and using EBOs, and the challenges involved in their use.

Assessing Individual Support Needs to Enhance Personal Outcomes

Education and human service organizations providing services to people with intellectual and closely related developmental disabilities are increasingly being impacted by the supports paradigm, the quality of life concept, and the evaluation of personal outcomes. In this article the authors discuss the relationship among these three areas, including examples that illustrate how assessed support needs data can be aligned with quality-of-life–related core domains so as to establish individualized support systems that enhance personal outcomes. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for educators and habilitation professionals of integrating the supports paradigm, the quality of life concept, and the evaluation of personal outcomes.

An integrative approach to evidence based practices.

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) is an important standard in the evaluation of interventions that can be used to impact decision making (Kaiser & McIntyre, 2010). Throughout the article, evidence-based practices are defined as practices that are based on current best evidence and that are used as the basis for clinical, managerial, and policy decisions related to service delivery and continuous quality improvement. Current best evidence is information obtained from credible sources that used reliable and valid methods and/or information based on a clearly articulated and empirically supported theory or rationale (Schalock & Verdugo, 2012; Schalock, Verdugo, & Gomez, 2011).

An evidence-based approach to organization evaluation and change in human service organizations evaluation and program planning

The work described in this article focuses primarily on how human service organizations can use an evidence-based, self-assessment approach to organization evaluation to facilitate continuous quality improvement and organization change. Real-life examples are presented, strengths and challenges discussed, and future conceptual and measurement issues identified.

Does performance management affect nurses’ well-being?

AIM This article focuses on employee performance-management practices in the healthcare sector. We specifically aim to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of employee performance-management practices on affective well-being of nurses in hospitals. Theory suggests that the features of employee-performance management (planning and evaluation of individual performances) predict affective well-being (in this study: job satisfaction and affective commitment). METHODS Performance-management planning and evaluation and affective well-being were drawn from a survey of nurses at a Flemish hospital. Separate estimations were performed for different aspects of affective well-being. RESULTS Performance planning has a negative effect on job satisfaction of nurses. Both vertical alignment and satisfaction with the employee performance-management system increase the affective well-being of nurses; however, the impact of vertical alignment differs for different aspects of affective well-being (i.e. job satisfaction and affective commitment). CONCLUSION Performance-management planning and evaluation of nurses are associated with attitudinal outcomes. The results indicate that employee performance-management features have different impacts on different aspects of well-being.

The scale for emotional development-revised (SED-R) for persons with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems: development, description, and reliability

Objectives: The Scheme for Appraisal of Emotional Development (SAED, Došen, 1997) is intended to evaluate the emotional development of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), especially those with co-occurring problem behaviour. In 2012, The Scheme for Appraisal of Emotional Development-revised (SED-R) was developed in Dutch, based on the SAED. This paper aims at providing a description of the SED-R, its development, and results from an inter-rater reliability study. Methods: The study was carried out in services that support persons with ID in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. For each client, the SED-R was administered twice with the same informants by two different trained interviewers at different points in time, with a 1-week minimum and 3-week maximum between assessments 1 and 2. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated in order to estimate the internal consistency. The degree of agreement between the scores of the assessment pairs at time 1 and time 2 (which could be regarded as test-retest reliability) was expressed in Spearman’s rho. For the extent of inter-rater agreement, the intraclass correlations coefficient (ICC) was applied. Results: The reliability results indicate that the SED-R generally shows a high internal consistency. The total and average score of the SED-R show a substantial inter-rater reliability. Ten out of 13 domains show moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability. Conclusion: The results are discussed in relation to four notions: robustness, utility, understanding, and relevance. It is necessary to generate more knowledge with regard to the validity, reliability and applicability of the SED-R, warranting further research.

Understanding organization transformation in evaluation and program planning

Organization transformation is an increasingly important concept and process in human service organizations as they adapt to rapidly changing challenges and opportunities to enhance their effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. This article describes a four-component organization transformation model that incorporates transformation pillars, transformation strategies, organization capacity, and organization outputs and outcomes. The article includes examples of the models use, and concludes with a discussion of valuable lessons learned to date.