aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Roxanne Bainbridge (Central Queensland University), Robyn Bailey (Allen + Clarke), Julia Carr (Griffith University), Robert Monaghan (Monaghan Dreaming), Ned Hardie-Boys (Allen + Clarke)

Evaluating large-scale, complex health programs poses a host of challenges. Traditional evaluation designs which compare locations with and without a given program are not appropriate because many of the programs are available in most locations. Place-based evaluation designs are promoted as a potential way to enhance understanding of context and address the lack of counterfactual comparisons. However, there are few published examples of evaluation designs that use a place-based approach to guide implementation.

In this presentation, we describe the emergent and multi-layered approach to co-designing a system-level evaluation, using a place-based approach. We aim to advance the understanding of place-based approaches to evaluation and research, by illustrating how the approach is being used in the evaluation of the Australian Governments investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care through the Indigenous Australians Health Programme (IAHP).