Monitoring

Monitoring (Is it working?) 

Because no intervention will be universally effective, frequent monitoring of effects is necessary so that decisions can be made on how to proceed. Infrequent monitoring only wastes resources and time when an ineffective intervention is left in place too long. It is also essential to monitor how well the intervention is implemented (treatment integrity). That’s the only way to know whether an intervention is effective or ineffective and whether it was implemented properly or so poorly that benefit cannot reasonably be expected. Knowing about the quality of implementation allows practitioners to make data-informed judgments about the effects of an intervention. Making judgments about the effects in the absence of data about the quality results in guessing and, in some instances, discontinuing interventions that would be effective if implemented properly.