MIH 521 Health Program Evaluation (Mod 2 SLP) - Essay Example

Health Program Evaluation MIH 521 Mod 2 SLP Health Program Evaluation The goal of evaluation research is to provide useful feedback to sponsors, donors, clients, administrators, staff and others involved in the program. The feedback gained from an evaluation program helps determine changes need to be made or not (Eddy, 2007). There are many types of evaluation studies that can be done. This paper will discuss what should be considered when doing an evaluation study as well as identify the stakeholders involved in the study.

The first thing that needs to be considered is whether there is a reason to do the evaluation. In this case the evaluation would be done of FitKids which is a program to keep kids healthier through activity. If we do not evaluate the programs we set up, we do not know how well they are doing and what their results are (attc-ne.org). The plan to evaluate according to Harvard Medical School plans(2009) includes the following things. Identify with precision what it is that the specific program has as a purpose and in the case of FitKids, the reason is to have healthier more active kids which prevents chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and orthopedic diseases.

It is important to know whether the program has the potential to meet its goals and the terminology that is used in the evaluation study must be explained up front to assure a thorough understanding of the results. Threats to validity are always a problem in any kind of research but it is particularly so in an evaluation study. There are according to the Harvard School plan (2009) seven threats that must be watched for. Those are a history of events happening during the study that were not planned to occur.

There is a maturation problem that can occur when the passage of time changes the study and one does not realize or plan for that as well as the fact that a testing issue could happen. Testing issues usually happen when there is bias in the choice of controls though, which is not likely to happen in this particular evaluation. Drop outs or what is called mortality in the study can cause a problem with validity and of course statistical regression which is caused in an extreme scores situation, again when one is choosing the controls.

This also is not likely to happen in this particular case. Other issues that should be looked at closely as one designs the study for a evaluation are what the design will be like. This would involve choosing a research question and doing a PICO on it so that it can be used for research, developing the protocols, actually developing the study and using it and then analysis and dissemination of the data and conclusion. Who the stakeholders are and how they will be affected as well as how their decision capacity affects the study must also be considered.

There are program sponsors and decision makers which in this case are the government and the governmental funding sources as well as those local groups who have instituted and help to keep this program running. There are the children who are benefiting from the program and the parents whose children are benefiting. There is also the community at large in which healthier children should be growing up and the healthcare system that is local that will have less chronic children as well as less chronic adults.

There is then the general public who will benefit from healthier more contributing individuals as to work and general contribution to the society as a whole (Rossi, Freeman & Lipsey, 1999). In conclusion, the evaluation program has its place in research and that is one of assuring that the programs we develop are functioning well and contributing. There are many things involved in building and maintaining an evaluation program as well as stakeholders that must be involved in the process as well as receive the results and be a part of changing policy involved.

ReferencesEddy, LL (2007). Evaluation research as academic scholarship. Nursing Education Perspectives. 28(2). 77-81. Program evaluation at https://www.attc-ne.org/pubs/pe.pdfRossi, Freeman & Lipsey (1999). Nature of the evaluator-stakeholder relationship.