Role of Healthcare Intervention - Assignment Example

Health Evaluation Plan Executive summery The reason for evaluation is to make better the actions and ideas and judgments. In the public domain, an evaluation seeks to inform the public that the choices that were made on their behalf were viable choices (Ovretveit, 2002). The changes that have been gained in the provision of healthcare for the different stakeholders can be measured in different perspectives. Immunization is one particular field that the effectiveness has to be constantly evaluated to determine its use in the population. Not much study has been dedicated to the performance of the service; however, the effectiveness of the service in the prevention of common pediatric illnesses/viruses should not be overlooked. In order to evaluate the performance or effectiveness of the service, it is crucial consider the indicators of the service. Trivalent influenza vaccination, for instance, is one of the common types of vaccinations in Australia. The immunization helps to protect young children from respiratory viruses and untreatable infections. In order to monitor immunization effectiveness, an examination into the delivery and consumption of the vaccine is conducted by the relevant agencies. The aim of such examination is to determine the effective modalities of delivering the service to the population. In this perspective, the component of that helps in evaluation and monitoring and evaluation vital for the proper determination of the effectiveness of a service. Introduction Immunization is regarded as one of the basic methods of disease prevention. From childhood, an individual’s immune system is fortified from attack by the use of immunogens. As a preventive method, the evaluation of the effectiveness of immunization is quite difficult. Reason being; the performance of the process is based on the occurrence of the condition that it is supposed to protect. However, the delivery and consumption can be measured and evaluated. This paper gives a plan on the evaluation process that will be used in gaging the effectiveness of the immunization process Contexts The evaluation will cover the public immunization of infants specifically. At a more specific level, the effectiveness of trivalent influenza vaccination will be the focus of the evaluation. To determine the status of the vaccination, parents will take a questionnaire that will indicate the status of the vaccination of the child and the schedule of vaccination. Because the subjects of this research are infants, the investigation will be carried out at two levels. First, the prevalence of the diseases that can be prevented through immunization will be determined through data. Secondly, selected parents will be interviewed to determine whether they used public immunization to manage the prevalence of the infections. Aims and objectives The research aims at determining the effectiveness of the vaccination process in the Australian public. At a more specific level, it looks at the efficiency of vaccination and the resulting side effects. Oculorespiratory syndrome is one of the possible side effects that have been studied with respect to influenza vaccination (Stratton & Institute of Medicine (U.S.), 2012). In this research, several studies were reviewed with the intention of determining the impact of influenza vaccination. Children who suffer from Oculorespiratory syndrome and those that suffer from influenza are taken into consideration. This will be done alongside the regression on whether the child received immunization or not. Evaluation plan The initial step of evaluation is the design and planning phase (Diamond, Luke, & Uttal, 2003). The step is a very challenging duty and requires critical attention. A good evaluation study includes the core components of the methodology, the outcome and timelines. A well-designed evaluation scheme should be able to distinguish whether to adopt formative or summative approach or a combination of both. The formative approach has several merits as it develops with the project because it interactive with the activities and is capable of identifying the shortfalls (Morrow, 2011). These identified shortfalls can then be addressed and clarified in the process of activity. When remedial measures are enacted as the mistakes are identified, it is possible to come up with a very viable and all inclusive outcome with minimal or free from error. Although the researcher will conduct a summative evaluation when the program culminates, emphasis will be on the monitoring evaluation strategy that develops with the project. The outcome from the summative evaluation will be of immense value for future endeavors. It will reveal what was achievable as well as the overall impact of the immunization process. It will be conducted after some time to reveal whether the costs and inputs that were invested into the project have borne any positive improvement into the health status of the beneficiaries. The evaluation plan also needs to identify the kind of personnel to engage in the process: these could be internal or external evaluators (Issel, 2004). The former are employees of the organization conducting the evaluation while the latter are evaluators drawn from outside the organization. Each category of evaluators has merits and demerits that characterize them. Love (1991), argues that each category of evaluators should be engaged because their roles though distinct are complementary for comprehensive and all-round evaluation to be done. Each category of evaluators is significant in their right. Internal evaluators will give appropriate feedback to the managers while external ones are more prone to serve interests successfully from without like those of funders, lawmakers and shareholders. Methodology There are two possible categories of methodology that can be adopted in this case. The study will adopt the use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques in the evaluation. The merits of the two methodologies overlap both at the formative and summative stages. Qualitative methods are crucial at initial stages when an overview of the whole procedure is at test (Blankenship, Diane C. (2009). They are more liable to reveal strengths and weaknesses of the procedures as well as suitability of the resources that characterizes the entire process. This will provide ample period for change over if need be. Quantitative techniques have proven chance of inspecting the feelings, beliefs and the overall attitude of the interviewees. They also aid in judging the overall intensity of the procedures Design of the evaluation An evaluation design reveals the plan for the evaluation it is meant to reveal the purpose for the evaluation and coming up with procedures to execute the evaluation. It reveals the target of people to be interviewed. The design also needs to capture the questions that ought to be used as a follow-up to the immunization exercise. The design will capture the questions that will be used to conduct the survey. The questions will be geared towards coming up with the overall impact of the process. It will outlay the processes to follow to arrive at desired impact of the immunization process. These questions need to be comprehensive to capture the targeted objective. The questions in the design will play the role of guidelines to the methods to employ in the evaluation process. The evaluation design matrix will only be complete until it captures job distribution from data collection through to analysis and interpretation. In addition, the design will capture the target consumers of the interpreted information and also how the information will reach out to government agencies, businesses and also the general public The understanding of an evaluation in common terms is to measure (Friedman & Wyatt 2006). At personal level, the measurement helps one make an informed decision on the choices of service or property that is at stake. In the public domain, the measurement will change the direction of public policy. Clarke & Dawson (1999), describe an evaluation as a form of research. The determination of the effectiveness of the policy or a community program requires the use appropriate research tools. The distinction between an evaluative study and other forms of study is based on the purpose of the study. Experimentation has been floated by other studies as a possible method of conducting an evaluation (Glaser& Erez, 1988). In this study, theory-guided monitoring has been discussed at length. The choices that are made at the level of evaluation will depend on the type of investigation that are to be done and the intention of such evaluation. In the investigation of public policy or a dimension of health advocacy like immunization choices are to be made on the type of research or evaluation technique that is to be used. Because it is a government initiative, the impact can only be measured at community level or wholesomely at national level. To undertake this exercise, an investigative approach or a study needs to be done to ascertain the efficacy of the approach. The choice that is preferred by many studies is a form of research that is targeting a specific intention. In this case, the effectiveness of the immunization process in Australia is the target of the study. To deal with this evaluation, the use of research cannot be avoided. Specifically, the different aspects of immunization will be targeted. For instance, the occurrence of viral infections on infants will be measured as a means to determine the efficacy of the immunization process in the control of this type of infections. After the identification of the target group, the researcher will move on to cluster them into categories of individuals and also interview others in groups of like-minded individuals, say six parents. Perspectives Interventions in the medical sector are significant in the overall economy of a nation. It takes a healthy workforce to boost economic growth. Therefore, investment in public health plays a pivotal role in ensuring that there is reduced expenditure on health bills and subsequent boost on investment. The community needs to participate actively in the preventive activities both as implementers and targeted population. Healthcare interventions through preventive modules need to be enhanced to reduce the amount of time spent in hospital beds. In terms of both welfare economics and health economics must undertake the overall impact assessment of the preventive medical intervention procedures. Cost effectiveness will also be considered; many people should be reached at very minimal costs. The centers for immunization are supposed not to be far flung from the major transport network so that many people can access them. The perspective of this healthcare preventive measure cannot, therefore, be ignored as it has a direct bearing on the beneficiaries as well as the economy at large. Implementation level Implementation is a significant stage in the entire process. It is the stage that highlights and determines whether the desired objectives are being realized. The stage is crucial in determining the correct personnel that is required in the project. For the success of the project, it is vital to seek services of the services of those who are familiar with matters of health. These are professionally equipped to conduct an interview because they can establish the realms of the interview. They can control the interview environment. They will be blended with other personnel who are not medically oriented. These medically oriented staffs are crucial in reporting to their various departmental heads even before the final analysis is done. Questionnaires that are very comprehensively constituted will be used to from door to door to ensure that a reasonable part of the sample size is reached (Gillham, B. (2007). The data from the field will then be analyzed using the appropriate analytical procedures. The analyzed data will then be interpreted, and findings relayed to the various stakeholders. Research tools There must be put in place necessary and most appropriate tools to make easy the evaluators work and for reliable outcomes to be realized (Barksdale, S.et.al 2001 ). The evaluators need to be provided with well-prepared questionnaires that address the possible outcomes and side effects of the vaccine that was administered. Prior to being sent to the field they will need some training on how to handle cases which will be met in the field that could have been severed by the vaccine. This kind of people might exhibit hostility and fail to cooperate with the interviewers. Some basic counter reaction drugs may be issued to the people going to the field to aid them in handling any possible opportunistic needs that they may encounter. Dressing code should be appropriate and that which shows the presence of a group of professionals.( Yate, M. J. (2008) Tools of data analysis will have to at a central place where all data from the field is captured. Means of transport should be provided to the evaluators. Stakeholders This being a medical venture it should bring on board everybody within the state because each household has a chance of being affected by the vaccine. However, the report will be narrowed to a micro scale to involve only a few specific households whose infants get to be vaccinated for a manageable sample size. The medical staffs who are engaged in this exercise also join in the list of those who have stakes. The evaluators involved in conducting the assessment both at formative and summative levels. The Australian department of health which is the major fund providers to the exercise and also allowed their children to be used for research. The nongovernmental organizations and the business community also have a stake. There will be an established channel of relaying information so that the stakeholders are abreast with all the developments in the process to make the evaluation be a whole community affair. Key outcomes and matters to be addressed The outcome showed a significant level of occurrence of the infection that was instigated by the vaccination. Those who suffered from side effects were more than half of the children who received vaccine. However, the side effects were minor and disappeared within a short span of time. There were only a few cases that developed acute conditions like Oculorespiratory syndrome that needed to be addressed. There were low levels of infection experienced among those who received the vaccine. Some of the issues that require critical assessments are the few extreme cases of those who developed Oculorespiratory syndrome. This is a case which requires further research and study. Conclusion The role of preventive healthcare intervention is significant in today’s health management sector (Wilson et al., 2006). No household, community or state can afford to fail to underscore the significance of preventive medication. This, therefore, calls for well-designed public health care systems to save nations of huge curative medical care bills. The position taken by vaccination is indisputable as we have observed how it helped alleviate acute influenza conditions in this study. Evaluation as a tool to measure achievements should be propagated to ensure that no assumptions are made of the progress of systems. It plays a significant role in ensuring that corrective measures are enacted within the speculated time. This will foster movement towards the desired goals for purposes of efficiency in attaining desired objectives. References Barksdale, S., Lund, T., & American Society for Training and Development. (2001). Rapid evaluation: Tools, worksheets, and job aids to help you : develop an evaluation strategy, use the right evaluation approach, understand and analyze evaluation data. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training & Development.(pp.59) Blankenship, Diane C. (2009). 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