Projects
001 – Evaluation of eviDent
- Chief Investigator: Dr Denise Bailey
- Associate Investigators: Dr Mary Miller and Dr Tony Robertson
- Research Collaborator: Meaghan Quinn
- Research Assistant: Karen Escobar
- Support: Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch and Oral Health CRC
About
The evaluation of the eviDent DPBRN and its activities is an essential and integral part of eviDent. This project aimed to evaluate the eviDent network from the perspectives of practitioners, academics and the network infrastructure.
Aims
- Clarify eviDent’s important areas for evaluation
- Select the appropriate design of evaluation for those areas
- Formulate a strategy for gathering the evidence needed and using the evaluation findings
Defining the benefits for practitioner participation in the eviDent network was identified as a priority area for evaluation. This project will help the network devise strategies to maximise those benefits and ensure that practitioner engagement in future research projects is a positive experience.
As part of this project, eviDent Associate Investigators and other practitioners were surveyed to elicit their perceptions of the benefits and burdens of being involved in eviDent research.
Results
The project found that practitioners reported personal, practice and societal benefits of eviDent involvement and challenges to participation were few. A series of recommendations for improvements to eviDent were made to the DPBRN Committee, and were designed to encourage greater participation by the profession.
