A content analysis of Evaluation & the Health Professions over 32 years.

It is an honor to begin my role as Editor of Evaluation & the Health Professions (EHP). I will have a difficult path to follow. R. Barker Bausell began this journal 32 years ago along with Carolyn F. Waltz. The journal has become a home for a wide variety of topics and in 2008 achieved an impact factor of 2.683. While learning to take on the role as Editor, I have attempted to place the many specific topics into general themes that the journal has addressed over the years. I identified 20 general topics. These included evaluations of professional competence and student achievement, and ethics. These also included program evaluations in medical, educational, and community settings, policy evaluations, and health education, prevention, or promotion topics. Issues of training professionals were included along with explication of types of professional roles, professional role perceptions, and satisfaction. Patient adjustment and self-care, and consumer satisfaction were examined as well. Various analytic approaches including cost-effectiveness analyses, implementation methods and context issues, research designs, and statistical approaches were examined. Finally, translation issues and global health were addressed. In total, 953 articles have appeared in the journal since it began. Next, I examined proportions of each topic covered by articles over the duration of the journal and also in approximately 10-year increments to assess trends of prevalence of different topics. I did the coding myself, did not establish interrater agreement with a second rater, and many peculiarities are missing in the categories formed (e.g., the December 2009 issue of the journal presents complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) issues, which I simply grouped under program evaluation in medical or clinical services). Still, the data I coded provide a heuristic look at the history of the contents of the journal. The results of this exercise are shown in Table 1. Table 1 Prevalence of Topics That Have Appeared in EHP by and Across Years The most popular areas covered over 32 years are professional competence–related issues (12%), statistical techniques or test validation studies (11%), program evaluation in medical or other clinical settings (10%), implementation methods and context (9%), and student evaluations (done by or of students; 8%). Looking at changes comparing 1978–1989, 1990–1999, and 1978–2009, professional competence-related issues have been printed less frequently (14%, 14%, and 8%, respectively), as have program evaluations in educational settings (8%, 4%, and 3%) and in health education/prevention/promotion (7%, 8%, and 4%). Program evaluation in home or other community settings became more popular for a while and then less popular (2%, 6%, and 2%). Translation issues (0%, 0%, and 6%), global health issues (1%, 1%, and 10%), and data collection/attrition issues (2%, 2%, and 6%) have become more popular over time. It is likely that these same 20 general topics will be covered by the journal in years to come, with continued emphasis on such recent issues as translation and global health. As the health professions continue to evolve due to changes in science, technology, culture, and economics, the journal will reflect these changing trends. As in the past, EHP will attempt to provide a balanced perspective on contemporary and often controversial issues. For example, in March of 2011, the journal will provide a Special Issue on data analytic issues in prevention research. Such topics as when to use one-versus two-tailed tests, notions of “cherry picking” results, how to deal with the shape of data distributions, and covariates within multilevel designs, all will be addressed. In addition, there will be a statement regarding the perspective the consumer might take considering evidence-based program results. Further, issues pertaining to the causation and statistics will be discussed. The journal will be a home to health-related profession evaluation issues for years to come. I greatly appreciate the mentorship that Barker Bausell has provided to me, and I am glad to be the second Editor at the helm.