SSRG Newsletter - March 2001: Using Evidence in Health and Social Care

Book Review
Edited by Roger Gomm and Celia Davies
Open University Sage Publications (2000)
Paperback ISBN 0-7619-6495-9

I found this book to be an excellent 'refresher' and particularly relevant and timely with the advent of the 'Quality Strategy for Social Care' and the 'Health and Social Care Bill' The former emphasises social work education, using evidence in practice and governance; and the latter the more efficient and effective integration of Health and Social care.

There are 11 chapters in all, split into two main sections: 'Evidence for Practice and 'Putting Research into Practice' Each chapter guides the reader, using clear language and practical examples, through issues relating to:

'Ways of Knowing' by Anne Breeching and Myra Side[], reminds us of the philosophy, theory, methodologies -and limits- of research

*`Making Sense of Surveys' by Roger Gomm talks us through this topical subject, using examples from consumer satisfaction with the NHS, and highlights issues relating to sampling, reliability and validity. His discussion is supported by clear references to work carried out by colleagues (eg. Almost irrespective of what happens to them, about two-thirds of people will register 'satisfaction' with health or social services. Thus only about one-third of the measuring scale is available for comparing between groups, between services or between points in time. (Hall and Dornan 1 988Y'

`Understanding Experimental Design also by Roger Gomm reminded me of my days as a psychology student, looking at control groups; randomised controlled trials and so on. This is the stuff that social workers and sociologists often dread because it involves numbers, statistical analysis and hypotheses! (by the way, who was this person called Null?)

'Interpreting Meanings' by Kelley Johnson looks closely at how we understand and interpret what is going on in the world, and the things that we bring as researchers and human beings to the 'situation' and to those who are being researched. A clear exposition of issues relating to the theory and methods of qualitative research.

'Using Action Research' by Elizabeth Hart and Meg Bond is basically a summary of their 1995 book of the same name. Action research can Wall things to all people 'but this chapter carefully synthesises and discusses several different approaches and considers the relevance of action research to the contemporary health and social care agenda. The links between the action research paradigm and the duty of' Best Value' are crying out to be explored and developed.

'Producing Evidence Ethically' by Maureen A Eby. The importance of ethical considerations in research cannot be overstated: The challenge for researchers and practitioners alike is to judge research in terms of how well it keeps its balance between rigour and respect

'Research and Practice: Making a Difference` by Gill Needham is an introductory chapter to the second part of the book. It looks at some of the barriers to using evidence in practice and how they might be overcome through a case study involving a shire county. Importantly, it also discusses the impact on the service user

'Agency Information for Better Practice' by Roger Gomm in which he argues that in order to make an informed choice about implementing the findings of research done elsewhere, practitioners need to know a great deal about their own practice first. Can this be achieved by looking at information that is routinely recorded in practice?

'Would it Work Here?' also by Roger Gomm, discusses whether research carried out in one practice situation can be successfully transferred to another, and looks at some of the differences between the context of the research study and the context of everyday practice.

'Should we Afford it?' Another chapter by Roger Gomm in which he considers issues relating to costs and the cost-effectiveness of doing research and measuring and assigning costs.

'Evidence for Planning Services` by Roger Gomm is the final chapter of the book. it looks at the use of evidence in designing services through the 'real life' example of an SRB bid, in which a number of key elements such as a sound information base, collaborative bidding and co-ordinated planning are discussed.

Finally, the appendix provides an overview of sources of information for evidence based practice such as journals, newsletters, databases and internet resources. Sadly SSRG, 'Research in Practice' and 'Making Research Count' do not appear in the appendix. Although the title refers to 'Health and Social Care' there is a bias toward health in the examples that are referred to. However, the principles of good research and their application to practice should transcend this, and with closer ties between Health and Social Care inevitable, this book overall is a 'timely tome'!