Observation is an effective but sometimes labor-intensive way to gather data about clients, especially about populations that are new to an agency. Observation can be used to help gather information about individuals to develop new programs. It can also help gather information about the agency, staff or interventions to provide feedback on existing programs.

Developing a written procedure for observation BEFORE going out in the field is crucial. The procedure can consist of a checklist of things to look for, specific questions to answer, and space for writing in independent notes. This will ensure that the data is gathered in a systematic and structured way and will make the data more useful. (See Example: Observation for an example of observation procedures.)

		In Alameda County, Lisa has developed a contact log for all youth the agency sees. The log tracks the number of times the youth come to the agency or are seen during outreach. It also notes specific information like what kinds of condoms or lube they like best, what their living situation is, etc.“ Our outreach staff hates filling out forms more than anything,” said Lisa. “It does take time. We try to do it right when we get back in the car (after outreach), where the clients can’t see us with our clipboards. Everyone usually moans and groans when they start, but then they get excited when they start to recite what happened during outreach. They realize the impact of their work, and they’re more willing to write it down.”

Observation can help:

• Determine the best way to attract clients. Observing a local middle or high school after classes end or during lunch hours can tell you where teens go after school or at lunch, what time they leave, what kinds of teens hang out at school, which teens leave immediately, what the ethnic mix of teens is, what kinds of music they listen to, how many take public transportation, etc.

If teens hang out for an hour after school and before football or basketball games, that might offer a window where teens have nothing to do and might look for an activity to fill the time. It could be a good time to open a drop-in center or offer a short social/educational activity.

•    Determine needs and habits of clients. Observing a shooting gallery or other public drug use area can tell you if users share needles, if they clean between use and how they clean, if they sell needles, if they trade drugs for sex, what kinds of drugs they use, and if there are other drugs being used.If drug users are sharing needles and cleaning practices are inadequate, outreach workers might want to do needle cleaning demonstrations, hand out bleach, or hand out cards with times and locations of needle exchange services.

•    Determine availability of safer sex supplies. To find out if condoms are both available and easily accessed, staff can visit a few drug stores in the community to see what brands of condoms are being sold, whether they are in an aisle or behind a counter, and if customers need to ask a clerk for them. Staff can also visit local bars or hangouts to see if there are condom machines in the bathrooms.If customers need to ask a clerk for condoms, a discussion with the store manager or pharmacist might alert them to the need for easy access without embarrassment.

•    Determine acceptability of programs. Observing a peer educator conducting an intervention, or a needle exchange site, or a safer sex rave or volleyball game can tell you more about a program that’s in progress. Do clients seem bored, talk eagerly with the staff, leave before the end of the activity? Do participants worry that someone might see them coming, or take off if police or adults are nearby?

If clients seem to lose interest at the end of an educational session, perhaps it needs to be shortened by 15 to 30 minutes. If clients disappear when police cruise by, perhaps a meeting with the local beat police or chief is needed to try to explain what the agency is trying to accomplish.

NOTE: Observers should be chosen and trained not to attract undue attention to themselves so that they don’t influence how people behave. For example, if an outreach worker is already well known in the community, her presence might be a reminder not to drink or share needles. If an observation is being done on an existing program, it is best conducted by someone other than intervention staff so that the observation remains neutral.

Good Questions, Better Answers --  � 1998 California Department of Health Services and
Northern California Grantmakers AIDS Task Force  -- http://www.goodquestions.com