NURS 6720 Week 9 Program Evaluation Design Part 1 Essay

NURS 6720 Week 9 Program Evaluation Design Part 1 Essay Assignment

NURS 6720: Population-based Public Health Nursing Interventions | Week 9

NURS 6720 Week 9: Program Evaluation Design, Part 1

Assessment

Diagnosis

Planning

Implementation

Evaluation

Public Health Nursing in Action: Case Scenario

The PHN recognized the importance of planning for evaluation from the very beginning of the nursing process. This allowed for careful attention to gathering credible evidence to support program evaluation. Planning allowed for both process and outcome evaluations to be completed. Process evaluation used for the Bundles of Joy Community Baby Shower included keeping careful records of agencies and professionals making donations or assisting with the program, including the names of agencies, and strategies for contacting key individuals at those agencies. Process evaluation data? was also gathered the day of the event by tracking attendance numbers and demographic data. Participants were also asked to complete an exit survey to evaluate satisfaction with the program and to collect ideas for improvement of future programs. Outcome evaluation was planned to allow for evaluating short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes. Short-term outcomes could be evaluated based on pre- and post-surveys given at various stations throughout the venue, as well as participation in follow-on activities such as installing car seats properly and administering infant first aid. Arrangements were made to contact individuals on a voluntary basis to evaluate intermediate outcomes, such as changes in frequency of prenatal visits. Finally, long-term outcomes could be evaluated based on data collected at the county and community level to determine if there was any changes in infant mortality rates.

Evaluation is the systematic collection of information to reduce uncertainties, improve effectiveness, and make determinations about what programs are doing and affecting. Nurses are trained in their initial programs about the importance of evaluating interventions such as a patient’s response to a disease process, medication, or treatment. Likewise, PHNs must evaluate a community or population’s response to a health threat or event, or to a public health program.

Why is it important to evaluate programs? Evaluation can help keep a project on course and demonstrate its effectiveness. Evaluation also allows measurement of progress being made toward a program’s goals and objectives. While evaluation is the final step in the nursing process, it is linked back to assessment, the first step. Why must you plan for evaluation from the beginning of a project? Because in the words of baseball legend Yogi Berra, “if you don’t know where you’re going, how are you gonna’ know when you get there?”

This week, you will develop an evaluation plan and consider how you might assess the effectiveness of the public health program you are placed with.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Develop evaluation design plans*
Determine appropriate evaluation type(s) for a specific program
Evaluate the effectiveness of public health programs

*The Assignment related to this Learning Objective is introduced this week and submitted in Week 10.

Course Project: Program Evaluation

There are two main types of evaluation: process and outcome. Process (formative) evaluation simply refers to the steps taken along the way toward your final outcomes. It determines if you are doing the right things, in the right way, and at the right time. A process evaluation answers the following questions: Are the critical events in place to assure project success? Is the project working as expected? Are you doing what you said you would do? A process evaluation lets you know what key landmarks or steps you must complete along the way. It looks at what you did and how you did it.

Outcome (summative) evaluation determines if your program made a difference in the health of your target population. Did you achieve your goals? Outcome evaluation measures the effectiveness of care that takes places after the intervention has been delivered. It involves (1) measurement of the community (or target population) response to a program; and (2) interpretation of the degree to which planned goals were met. Outcome evaluation focuses on how the people you serve have changed as a result of your project. It looks at what happened because of what you did, in the short-term, intermediate, and long-term. Short-term outcomes might be reflected in changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Intermediate outcomes refer to changes in behavior. Finally, long-term outcomes refer to changes in a condition or status.

For this section of the course project, you will develop a plan for the evaluation of your public health program.

To Prepare

Review this week’s Learning Resources on evaluation
Review your logic model and implementation plan. Is an evaluation strategy included?

For this Assignment, you will write a 2-3-page evaluation design plan that explains how you will evaluate your program and addresses the following:

How did you determine data needs?
How will you collect the data you need?
What type(s) of evaluation is most appropriate for your program? Explain.
How can the effectiveness of your program be evaluated?
Based on the experience at your placement agency, what changes would you make to the program? What is missing? Explain.

Due on Day 7 of Week 10.

Discussion:
Open Forum: Developing a Public Health Plan

Peer feedback, collaboration, and idea exchange contribute to the development of your knowledge and skills in public health nursing and overall development as a professional.

Throughout the week use this Discussion area to:

Share resources relevant to this course that you have found helpful (articles, websites, academic resources)
Ask questions and/or advice related to the development of your public health program design
Share insights and/or challenges from your practicum site experiences
Share insights and/or challenges regarding logic model development

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