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Table 8.1. Operational definitions
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Domain
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The most global category—A major area or category for which
there is more than one parameter of results (sometimes thought of as program goals).
A group of issues, elements, or components that have some important aspects in
common. Examples include access, quality/appropriateness, and outcomes (such as
child functioning, family functioning, child safety).
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Concern/
Construct
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The most salient issues to be addressed by measurement strategies—Typically
used to indicate a topic of experience, behavior, etc., that has been theoretically
defined and empirically measured, typically through use of several more narrowly
defined variables. Higher order, general concerns/constructs may incorporate a
number of lower order specific constructs. For example, depending upon results
of empirical testing of proposed quality/appropriateness items in a consumer survey,
“relationship with provider” may be defined and measured as a higher
order construct incorporating more specific constructs of “responsiveness,”
“recovery orientation,” etc.
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Performance Indicator
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Something important to measure; the markers that could identify an outcome
target—An operational and measurable quantitative specification
of a domain, for which data exist, which helps quantify the achievement of a desired
outcome. It is a specification of how well something is performing, typically
expressed as a ratio (e.g., the percentage of clients who report a certain level
of satisfaction). This includes both common and core indicators. Common Indicators
represents an aspect of performance that is of widespread, even universal interest
or concern across different organizational contexts and populations. Core Indicators
represents one of the most central and critical aspects of performance of interest
or concern to a particular stakeholder perspective. Noncommon core indicators
for one stakeholder group typically differ from the core indicators for other
stakeholder groups.
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Performance Measure
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Mechanisms used or data elements identified to support a judgment on the
indicator—The specific methodologies that derive and calculate
quantitative results by defining the numerator and denominator, which are used
to compute the value for the performance indicator.
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Specification
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Details pertaining to the collection of data for measures—For
example, sampling, frequency, instrumentation.
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