Primary attempts at research-based evaluation of clinical supervision

The subject of evaluating clinical supervision for nurses and health visitors in the United Kingdom is considered in this paper. Some of the methodological problems and possible solutions are debated. A multi-site project funded by the Department of Health is described. The paper seeks to identify the debate which currently surrounds the possibilities of evaluating clinical supervision. Research methods and tools are presented, along with a brief summary of some, and an assessment is made of their potential value. The dilemmas of evaluation on a ’grand scale ’ are considered and arguments are made for a broad methodological approach to evaluating clinical supervision