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Program Development-Policy

This document outlines the key aspects of developing and evaluating public health programs. It discusses identifying health problems, developing a program plan with goals and objectives, implementing program activities, and conducting formative and summative evaluations. Formative evaluation assesses program processes and coverage, while summative evaluation determines if the program achieved its intended outcomes and impact. Both types of evaluation are important for program improvement and accountability.

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79 views

Program Development-Policy

This document outlines the key aspects of developing and evaluating public health programs. It discusses identifying health problems, developing a program plan with goals and objectives, implementing program activities, and conducting formative and summative evaluations. Formative evaluation assesses program processes and coverage, while summative evaluation determines if the program achieved its intended outcomes and impact. Both types of evaluation are important for program improvement and accountability.

Uploaded by

api-528796845
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Program Development and Evaluation

Course Objectives:

1. Recognize how evaluation fits within the program development process


2. List three reasons why public health program evaluations are important
3. Explain the difference between formative and summative program
evaluations
4. Describe at least five aspects of a public health program that can be
measured
5. Identify at least two factors external to a public health program that may
affect its evaluation

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

Public health problems can be identified in multiple ways, all involving the
collection of information.
Health officials can obtain information from:
Health care provider records
Hospital intake forms or records
Laboratory results

THE PROCESS

All successful program planning models have at least three components: Plan,
Implement, and Evaluate

Program evaluation – the systematic collection of information about the


activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs to make judgements
about the program, improve program effectiveness, and/or inform decisions
about future program development

Evaluation should be part of a public health program from the


beginning.

Two broad categories of evaluation:


1. Summative
2. Formative
Summative – occurs after implementation and examins the outcomes and
impact of a program as compared to the intended goals

Summative evaluation includes:


 Outcome evaluation. Did the program achieve its objectives?
Were the program's goals met?
 Impact evaluation. What long term effects has the program had?
 Cost-effectiveness. Did the program produce sufficient benefits
related to its cost? Can other programs produce these benefits at a
lower cost?

We evaluate outcomes to:


 Demonstrate accountability to funders and stakeholders.
 Help make informed decisions about the program.
 Replicate or model the program.

Formative – asks if a program is being planned, developed, and implemented


as inteded and if the program is reaching the target audience

Formative evaluation includes:


 Process evaluation. Is the program operating as designed?
 Coverage evaluation. Is the program reaching its intended
audience?

We evaluate the process to:


 Monitor activities and identify areas for improvement.
 Monitor progress towards meeting the program's goals and
objectives.
 Find out if the program is efficient and acceptable.
 Demonstrate the program's worth and promote it.

Ideally, both formative and summative evaluations should be used.

Primary users – specific persons who are in a position to do or decide


something regarding the program.

Stakeholders – persons, groups, organizations, or systems that affect, or


may be affected by, the program.
Engaging stakeholder should be the first step in focusing an evaluation. The
program evaluation should be conducted by a team with different
perspectives. If an evaluation is conducted primarily by one person, they
should obtain input from different parties involved.

THE PLAN

In determining the program goal, describe what the program will change and
who will be affected.

Then once the goal statement is agreed upon, it is necessary to develop


program objectives that meet the SMART criteria.
SMART goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

Once objectives are developed, the next step is to develop a logic model.
This serves as a road map that links the planned work to the expected results.
Logic models include:
Inputs and resources
Activities
Outputs
Short-term outcomes
Intermediate outcomes
Long-term outcomes

Once the logic model is developed, you can use it as a tool for evaluating the
process and desired outcomes of the program

IMPLEMENT

Implementation – refers to conducting or carrying out the activities of the


program; could include one or multiple activities

The activities should be:


Linked to the goal and objectives of a program
Based on a theory, model, or prior research
Appropriate for the target audience – the people who receive or benefit
from the program’s activities

The activities in a public health program can be organized in various


categories:
 Administrative systems changes
 Behavioral or environmental changes
 Communication or outreach
 Community mobilization or advocacy efforts
 Direct service interventions
 Education
 Infrastructure-building
 Lab diagnostics
 Research initiatives
 Surveillance or outbreak investigations

FORMATIVE

Formative evaluation produces information that helps form and refine the
program. It includes examining the process and coverage.
Process Evaluation – assesses the fidelity of a program; how the process
affects the outcome; better results are achieved by asking process
questions first

A formative evaluation can help:


 Identify strengths and weaknesses of a program.
 Monitor activities and identify areas for improvement.
 Monitor progress towards meeting the program's goals and
objectives and carrying out its activities.
 Find out if the activities are effective, efficient, and acceptable.

Formative evaluation helps you to assess two main


things: process and coverage.
- Process measures help in determining if a program is being
implemented as planned
 Data and information about the number of activities
 Staff abilities
 Available resources
- Coverage measures the extent to which your program reaches those in
need

Continuously evaluating throughout program planning and implementation


aids in reaching the target outcomes, goals, and objectives.

SUMMATIVE

Summative evaluation is used to determine if the program worked. This


focuses on what needs to be changed as a result of implementing the program.
Summative evaluation can help measure the program outcomes and if the
program has achieved its goals and objectives.
Measuring the impact of a program can help decide the program’s future
direction, compare it to similar programs, and/or gain support for additional
resources and funding.
Summative evaluations measure the effect of the program short-term,
intermediate, and long-term.

Program logic modeling helps clarify the summative questions we ask to


measure outcomes, including:
 What did we accomplish? Did we achieve our outcomes? Why or
why not?
 What is different as a result of our actions?
 How expensive was the program?
 Did we meet our goals and objectives?
 Were there any unintended effects of the program?

A summative evaluation can focus on individuals, groups, organizations or


populations.
A summative evaluation may measure changes in:
 Awareness or knowledge
 Attitudes, beliefs or motivation
 Behaviors or skills
 Policies and procedures
 Health status or quality of life
 Environmental or social conditions
 Organizational capacity, service utilization or access
 Is the program cost-beneficial?
Summative evaluations should occur after a program has been in place long
enough to produce measurable results.

Summative evaluations strive to measure the program effect.


- Program effect - the outcomes that are attributable to or caused by the
program

Many external factors can influence the outcomes of your program such as:
 Other programs
Outside interventions or policies that may be targeted at the same
audience
 Economy
Changes in funding can influence program implementation
 Political climate
Competing priorities for local, state, and federal resources,
including time, talent, and funding
 Social and environmental climate
Popular trends or cultural beliefs can have an impact on the target
audience's beliefs and behaviors

There can be multiple program outcomes:


 No change in expected outcome
 Opposite direction of expected outcome
There may be more disease in a population after a public health
program is implemented due to increased reporting.
 Unintended outcomes are identified
You may identify outcomes that you did not expect to occur as a
result of the program.
 Expected outcomes
The outcome is what you anticipated.

Results are neither negative nor positive.

The information provided from results can be evaluated and used to make
judgements, improve effectiveness, and make informed decisions about future
programs.

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