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Facilitating Data-Based Decision-Making

Managers' Use of Data in a Community Mental Health Center

West Virginia Department of Health

Stan Cohen

West Virginia University

With the implementation of management information systems in human service settings came the expectation that managers would use data to make decisions. There is substantial evidence that this has not occurred. Two reasons may be lack of skill in utilizing data among managers and inadequacies in the definition of "use of data. " The present investigation incorporated data-based decision-making skill training with a behavioral analysis of data use. Managers in a community mental health center were trained to use monthly service reports. Productivity and information use were measured in a multiple- baseline design. Results indicated improvements in measures of data use skills and changes in managers'reports of use. Environmental factors that reduce the impact of the independent variable on measures of staffproductivity and of service utilization by clients are explored, as are implications for defining use of data.

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