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Abstract Background Pregnant patients were a significant population to consider during the pandemic, given the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on obstetric outcomes. While COVID testing was a central pillar of infection control, it became apparent that a subset of the population declined to test. At the same time, data emerged about pregnant persons also declining testing. Yet, it was unknown why pregnant patients declined tests and if those reasons were similar or different from those of the general population. We conducted this study to explore pregnant patients’ attitudes, access, and utilization of COVID-19 testing to support healthcare for infection prevention management for this unique and medically complex population. Methods We conducted a qualitative study of patients who were currently or recently pregnant during the early stages of the pandemic and received outpatient prenatal care at one of the participating study sites. An interview guide was used to conduct in-depth telephone interviews. Coding was performed using NVivo, and analysis was conducted using Grounded Theory. Results The average age of the participants (N = 37) was 32 (SD 4.21) years. Most were

Theory-based evaluation has undergone changes over time, adapting to challenges and aligning with trends that emphasise increased participation and complexity. However, integrating both high participation and complexity in programme theory does not consistently lead to productive outcomes in intricate systems. This article introduces contingency-oriented questions to assess the appropriate balance of complexity and participation in theory-based evaluation. Using a case study focused on the Accelerating Achievement for Adolescents Hub, a Global Challenges Research Fund initiative, we demonstrate the practical application of these questions. Our analysis highlights why efforts to elaborate a more complex programme theory were unsuccessful and explains the rationale behind concluding the project with a theory characterised by more moderate complexity and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to study how a specific assistive technology, namely wash toilet systems, are used and which values they enact for their users. The study is primarily based on ten semi-structured interviews conducted with older adults who were offered a wash toilet as an element in the welfare service of a large Danish municipality. The study shows how, in various ways, specific aspects of wash toilet systems are associated with specific aspects of human physiology. Essential challenges to older adults that implicate the use of wash toilet systems either relate to 'arms that cannot reach behind', or the leakage of urine and eventually faeces. Furthermore the study shows that values enacted by wash toilet systems differ in the various arrangements, e.g., enabling social relations, being a part of something, being self-reliant or independent, preserving intimacy limits, or just 'be pleased with'. The wash toilet systems are woven into several different arrangements of the ageing body, wheelchairs, walkers, care personnel, spouses, diapers, etc. being situated in differently spaced bathrooms in different homes and different municipalities. We propose that the abandonment of focus on abstract policy values in favour of an emphasis on the actual arrangements of technology and the human body in old age will, in fact, be beneficial to our understanding of how welfare technology can contribute to enhanced citizenship. An implication of this study for rehabilitation is not to take for granted how a wash toilet system will interact in arrangements with older adults, but attend to the potentially various/many ways the system can create value for the user in the actual arrangement it is part of. Another implication of the study is that it is always an empirical question whether self-reliance – which is often an aim of implementing assistive technologies - is an effect of a specific arrangement of a wash toilet system and the human body in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the keynote speech delivered by the authors at the European Evaluation Society (EES) conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 10, 2022. Topics they discussed include the idea of skeptical turn in evaluation, whereby it would allow a symmetrical relationship between evaluation and the world, the constitutive effects of evaluation, and ways for evaluators to consider ther idea of skepticism in evaluation.

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