82
May 29, 2019 Measuring the Success of Health Programs and Services
May 29, 2019
Measuring the Success of Health Programs and Services
Agenda
▪ Background
▪ What is an Outcome?
▪ Why Measure Health Outcomes?
▪ What is Project Outcome?
▪ Surveying Health Programs
▪ Tips for Surveying
▪ Taking Action Using Outcome Data
▪ Additional Health Resources
▪ Q&A
Emily Plagman
Manager, Impact & AdvocacyPublic Library Association
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
Public libraries create possibility. PLA is the indispensable ally for the
people who shape that possibility – the public library leaders and
staff who invite anyone in to learn, do, and grow.
W W W. P L A . O R G
Background
PLA and NNLM have partnered on several health
initiatives to advance the work of public libraries.
Expanding partnership with NNLM to add new health
survey to PLA’s Project Outcome toolkit, with funding from
the MidContinental, Pacific Southwest, and South Central
Regional Medical Libraries.
Background
Goals of the new health survey:
▪ Increase public libraries' understanding of the importance of
providing community health programs and services
▪ Increase the number of public libraries measuring the
outcomes of health programs and services
▪ Increase public libraries' ability to apply outcome data in
decision making and planning around health programming
and services.
Is your library already participating in PLA’s
Project Outcome?
What is an
Outcome?
Why Measure Outcomes?
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Libraries need more data and evidence to show the
whole picture of their value to the community.
Why Measure Outcomes?
Photo credit: Google Images
What is an Outcome?
✓ Needs assessment: What does our community need?
✓ Patron satisfaction: What should we do better?
✓ Outputs: How much did we do?
What is an Outcome?
✓ Needs assessment: What does our community need?
✓ Patron satisfaction: What should we do better?
✓ Outputs: How much did we do?
✓ Outcomes: What good did we do?
What is an Outcome?
Specific benefit from a library program/service
Can be quantitative or qualitative
Expressed as changes that individuals perceive
What is an Outcome?
Tells you what changes/effects/impacts your
programs are having in/on…
✓Knowledge
✓Skills
✓Attitudes
✓Opinions
✓Behaviors
✓Actions
✓Status
Why Measure
Health Outcomes?
Why Measure Health Outcomes?
LIBRARY GOAL:
offer programs & services that meet community needs
COMMUNITY GOAL:
improve overall health of individuals & families
PROJECT OUTCOME GOAL:
help libraries measure the value of programs and
services
NNLM GOAL: advance the progress of
medicine & improve public health
Why Measure Health Outcomes?
Outcomes measure patron-reported changes in knowledge,
attitude, behavior, or awareness. Health outcomes determine
if patrons’ lives are healthier as a result of your library’s
programs/services.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
92% feel more confident using yoga to destress
Photo credit: Unsplash
85% learned new ways to find health information online
Photo credit: Unsplash
Why Measure Health Outcomes?
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Public libraries can use this data for…
✓Grant reporting
✓Advocacy
✓Strategic Planning
✓Programming improvement
✓Funding requests
✓Communicating value to partners
Aggregate Health Data
HEALTH
What is Project
Outcome?
What is Project Outcome?
www.projectoutcome.org
FREE!
Online Toolkit
www.projectoutcome.org
Standardized Outcomes
What did patrons like most?
What can the library do to improve?
Knowledge
Confidence
Behavior Change
Awareness
www.projectoutcome.org
Standardized Outcomes
Locations
Programs
People
Time
Survey Topics
www.projectoutcome.org
PLA & NNLM: Health Survey
Project Outcome launched the NNLM-developed Health
Survey in April 2019 to help public libraries measure the
impact of their health programs & services.
Survey Management
Summary Reports
www.ProjectOutcome.org
Data Dashboard
www.ProjectOutcome.org
Training Resources
▪ Getting Started
▪ Surveys
▪ Data Collection
▪ Data Analysis
▪ Taking Action
▪ From the Field
www.projectoutcome.org
Resources > Getting Started > Tutorial Videos
Training Resources
www.projectoutcome.org
Benefits of Project Outcome
▪ Capturing snapshot data
― Short, simple surveys save time
― Higher response rate from patrons
― Open-ended comments are goldmine
▪ We’ve done the heavy lifting for you!
― Real-time results
― Data visualizations
― Ready-to-use reports
www.ProjectOutcome.org
Benefits of Project Outcome
▪ Standardization of outcome measures
― Across time & locations
― Variety of programs
― Aggregate national & state comparisons
www.ProjectOutcome.org
What health programs or services would you
like to measure the outcomes of?
Surveying Health
Programs
Why Survey Health Programs?
Project Outcome makes patron data easy to collect
Surveys are standardized so response data can be aggregated
Data informs us of patron changes after attending a health program/service
Increased understanding of impact of program on community health
Surveying Health Programs
What to measure?
▪ Any program or service with a learning component!
What not to measure?
▪ Collections, use of resources, etc.
PLA & NNLM: Health Survey
✓ 45 surveys have been created
✓ 211 patron responses have been collected
Health Survey: Immediate
Immediate Survey
Health Survey: Follow-up
Follow-up Survey
Health Survey: Addtl Questions
Additional Questions
Measuring Health Outcomes
Program examples include:
▪ Mental Health
▪ Healthy Cooking
▪ Chronic Disease Management
▪ Meditation
▪ Senior/Topics on Aging
▪ Exercise
Measuring Health Outcomes
It brings Seniors together
allowing us to share
information; learn new
healthy ways to care for
ourselves.
Provide trainingfocused on mental
health for teens.
That at four years old my
child has a great
knowledge of
healthy foods.
Add more meditation
and holistic health
classes.
Sharing Data with NNLM
OPTING IN: Step 3 “Survey Settings” asks you if you’d like to
share your survey responses with the National Network of
Libraries of Medicine.
Public libraries learn patrons’ outcomes
NNLM learns program impact at a national level
Tips for Surveying
Talk to Patrons
Explain the WHY and HOW before asking them to
complete the survey
Talk to Patrons
For low literacy patrons…
▪ Read survey questions aloud
▪ Walk through questions one at a time
▪ Explain the Likert scale before you administer
(strongly disagree – strongly agree)
Keep It Anonymous
▪ Don’t add any personal information questions to
the survey (name, email, library card no.)
▪ Have a volunteer collect the surveys
▪ Have an anonymous drop-box
▪ Use online surveys if the program includes
technology (Computers, iPad)
Get Creative!
Help children, low
English literacy
adults, or ESL
patrons better
understand the
survey scale
Stay On Time
▪ Account for surveying time when planning – make
it a part of the program
▪ Don’t keep patrons longer than you’ve promised
Taking Action Using
Outcome Data
Taking Action Using Outcome Data
Photo Credit: Unsplash
✓Grant reporting
✓Advocacy
✓Strategic planning
✓Programming improvement
✓Funding requests
✓Communicating value to partners
Strategic Planning
▪ Northern Kentucky Senior Services closed, leaving a gap in
services to the senior community
▪ Strategic plan: retired adults
▪ Used Education/Lifelong Learning Surveys to measure
homebound delivery services
Boone County (KY) Public Library
Strategic Planning
What they learned:
▪ 100% of respondents loved what the library provided
▪ Wanted more reference services & programs
▪ VERY important part of their social structure
What they did:
✓ One-on-one reference services to homebound customers (take
time to answer questions, provide resources, etc.)
✓ Added retired adult outreach program – take programs “on the
road” to nursing homes & retirement/senior centers
✓ Experimenting with technology (iPads, virtual reality goggles, etc.)
✓ Added new staff position – adult outreach librarian
Boone County (KY) Public Library
Programming Improvements
Storytime Around the World
Plano (TX) Public Library
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Programming Improvements
Sensory Backpacks
Topics
• Community Neighborhood
• Self-regulation
• Daily living
• Community Helpers
• Yoga and Focus
Sensory Saturdays
Plano (TX) Public Library
Programming Improvements
Sensory Storytime: Survey Comments
• “Music, Stories, Accepting--tolerates outbursts b/w/
autistic and typical children. It's a GREAT social skills
practice for my kids.”
• “Acceptance, patience, relationship, resources”
Plano (TX) Public Library
Partnerships
▪ Existing partnership with non-profit, Saheli
▪ Provides digital literacy training to primarily South Asian
woman and families
▪ Digital Learning surveys:
▪ Added social media lessons to boost community
connections
▪ Improved class expectations
▪ Received funding from Friends group to continue
partnership
Thomas Crane (MA) Public Library
Funding
Allen County (IN) Public Library
Taking Action: More Examples from the Field
www.ProjectOutcome.org
Additional Health
Resources
NNLM Membership
Network membership is FREE and offers a variety of benefits
and services, including:
✓ Eligibility for funding
✓ Access to training and other educational opportunities
✓ Opportunities for partnership
✓ Access to free educational and printed materials
✓ Opportunities to request an NLM Traveling Exhibition to visit
your library or organization.
✓ A digital certificate recognizing your institution, library or
organization as a Network Member
https://nnlm.gov
Health Resources for Public Libraries
PLA’s Health Initiative Newsletter provides libraries with news
about promoting healthy communities.
PLA’s Health Interest Group on ALA Connect is a virtual
community connecting PLA members interested in increasing
their knowledge and skills related to consumer health
services and programming.
http://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/healthliteracy
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
Health literacy plain language principles:
• Use familiar, common words• Explain technical insurance words• Use visuals• Engage consumers with interactivity• Give clear action steps
Social media graphicsVideosEditable materialsAccessible PDFs
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
Checklist for a Health Insurance Education and Enrollment Event
• Outcomes• Activities• Materials• Before & After Event
Tasks
Tools & Resources
• Assister Readiness materials: marketplace.cms.gov• Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services: cms.gov• Coverage plans: Healthcare.gov• Health news for your library: Publiclibrary.health• PLA’s Libraries Connecting You to Coverage Initiative:
www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage• PLA’s Project Outcome: projectoutcome.org • Turning the Page: www.publiclibraryadvocacy.org• National Network of Libraries of Medicine: nnlm.gov• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: www.rwjf.org• Community Catalyst: www.communitycatalyst.org
ala.org/pla/initiatives/connectingyoutocoverage
Wrap Up
If You Haven’t Already…
▪ Register for FREE at www.projectoutcome.org
▪ Review training resources
▪ Create a new survey
▪ Analyze data dashboards
▪ Join the Facebook group
▪ Follow us on Twitter
www.projectoutcome.org
QUESTIONS?
