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Results for “Program Evaluation”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A comprehensive clinical evaluation of 20,000 Persian Gulf War veterans. Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program Evaluation Team.

In response to the health concerns of Gulf War veterans, the Department of Defense instituted the Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program (CCEP). Although not designed as a research study, the CCEP provided valuable clinical data. An analysis was conducted of CCEP findings from systematic and comprehensive examinations of 20,000 U.S. Gulf War veterans. Among 20,000 participants, the types of primary and secondary diagnoses varied widely. Also, among veterans with an ICD-9-CM diagnosis of "symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions," no single subcategory of illness predominated, and no characteristic physical sign or laboratory abnormality was identified. In-total, there were 74 (0.4%) cases of connective tissue disease; 52 (0.3%) noncutaneous malignancies; 42 (0.2%) peripheral neuropathies; 14 (0.07%) cases of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis; 12 (0.06%) cases of renal insufficiency; and no new cases of viscerotropic leishmaniasis. No clinical indication of a new or unique illness was identified in this self-referred population, and the types of physiologic disease that could result from postulated hazardous wartime exposures were uncommon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Analysis of a database of materials for HIV prevention program evaluation.

Program evaluation technology transfer is the transfer of information on program evaluation from research to practitioners. There have been anecdotal reports of a lack of technology transfer materials related to HIV prevention program evaluation, especially materials usable by persons without extensive training in evaluation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed available program evaluation materials relevant to HIV prevention and developed a database of those materials. Materials were classified according to appropriate audience, level of evaluation expertise required, steps in the evaluation process addressed, and other criteria. The database was queried to determine the number of materials available for various combinations of search criteria. These queries revealed that for certain audiences and steps in the evaluation process there are few materials, especially usable by individuals without evaluation experience. The conclusion is that for certain areas of program evaluation, and for certain audiences, more evaluation technology transfer materials are needed.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed1998

Medical surveillance program evaluation. Successful program.

1. This program evaluation case example describes changes made to a medical/health surveillance program that resulted in cost savings while increasing services to employees. 2. An integrated computerized recordkeeping system provided immediate feedback to nurse and employee when testing was conducted at distant locations. 3. By offering voluntary health promotion activities simultaneously with a regulatory mandated health/medical surveillance program, employees were able to do "one stop shopping" for programs that had previously been offered separately.

Cost Savings↗
PubMed1996

Sources of selection bias in evaluating social programs: an interpretation of conventional measures and evidence on the effectiveness of matching as a program evaluation method.

This paper decomposes the conventional measure of selection bias in observational studies into three components. The first two components are due to differences in the distributions of characteristics between participant and nonparticipant (comparison) group members: the first arises from differences in the supports, and the second from differences in densities over the region of common support. The third component arises from selection bias precisely defined. Using data from a recent social experiment, we find that the component due to selection bias, precisely defined, is smaller than the first two components. However, selection bias still represents a substantial fraction of the experimental impact estimate. The empirical performance of matching methods of program evaluation is also examined. We find that matching based on the propensity score eliminates some but not all of the measured selection bias, with the remaining bias still a substantial fraction of the estimated impact. We find that the support of the distribution of propensity scores for the comparison group is typically only a small portion of the support for the participant group. For values outside the common support, it is impossible to reliably estimate the effect of program participation using matching methods. If the impact of participation depends on the propensity score, as we find in our data, the failure of the common support condition severely limits matching compared with random assignment as an evaluation estimator.

Bias↗
PubMed1997

The challenge of evaluating programs in a large health sciences centre.

This article illustrates how the logic model and a course on program evaluation at a large health sciences centre were instrumental in preparing staff to evaluate their own programs. Staff and physicians need basic skills in program evaluation. The logic model is a simple yet useful tool in helping to identify key measurables. A short course to teach the theory and practice of logic models, evaluation design, choice and design of measures, and data analysis has been shown to be a practical solution in preparing staff and physicians to evaluate their own programs.

Efficiency, Organizational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychometric evaluation of the Program Evaluation Instrument.

Most continuing education program evaluations are developed informally with little attention paid to psychometric properties. Rigorous evaluation of continuing education programs should measure quality and allow valid comparisons across programs. The Program Evaluation Instrument (PEI), which evaluates continuing education programs, was tested in this study to further evaluate its psychometric properties. The 19-item instrument consists of four theoretical subscales: program objectives, learner objectives, teacher behavior, and program satisfaction. Participants (N = 566) completed the instrument after a variety of hospital continuing education programs. Principal components factor analysis with Varimax rotation revealed two interpretable factors, Preparation and Presentation, and Usefulness. Coefficient alphas for the two factors were .94 and .70 respectively. The findings suggest item revision and further psychometric evaluation.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The utility of external performance measurement tools in program evaluation.

Many rehabilitation hospitals use formal measurement tools to evaluate program performance. A potential advantage to using the Functional Independence Measure instrument through the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) is that it provides information that allows an institution to compare its level of performance to those of other facilities. To assess whether joining UDSMR, along with an institution's continuous quality improvement efforts, could be associated with improved program performance, the records of a rehabilitation hospital's internal inpatient Program Evaluation System (PES) were reviewed for 6 fiscal years (1990-1995). Quality improvement efforts during 1995 (during which a 51% improvement in length of stay efficiency was noted) included education for staff, feedback on team performance, and efforts to formulate clinical pathways. Although external measures of performance do not have a direct effect on quality improvement, they could help identify areas of potential improvement that might not be appreciated when internal assessment systems are used alone.

Hospital Administration↗
PubMed2000

The significance of definitions of success in program evaluation.

In program evaluation, determining whether a program is reaching its goals is key to evaluating program success. Having an understanding of the stated goals of each organization within a system rather than simply knowing the formal system goals can aid in program development and inform policy making. Evaluability assessments were used initially as a means of learning how Philadelphia delinquency prevention programs define success. Subsequent surveys of programs were conducted to ascertain whether any changes in definitions of success had occurred. Examination of programs' definitions of success over time has facilitated program development and policy making.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

An effective CPR home learning system. A program evaluation.

1. Program evaluation using a self instruction CPR home learning system indicated that people could learn CPR without attending a formal class. Reported training time for adult CPR averaged 1 hour, and ease of understanding was rated 4.9 on a 5 point scale. 2. Use of a home learning system can benefit a workplace by reducing reliance on a CPR instructor, reducing total training time, and exposing families and others in the community to the learning experience. 3. This program evaluation suggests that this training methodology supports the mission of AHA, and also can meet corporate objectives.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Program evaluation: a value-added approach to hospital cost reduction.

As the pace of provider integration and aggregation begins to diminish, many systems are looking for ways to get more value from their new organizations. Brett Turner, a principal with Hamilton/HMC, explains both broad-based and targeted approaches to evaluating programs to determine whether they should be continued.

Cost Control↗
PubMed1983

Manager and evaluator views of program evaluation.

This article presents the results of a 1979 national survey of federally funded community mental health centers (CMHCs). The directors and chief program evaluators of 323 CMHCs returned questionnaires which allow comparisons of the opinions of the center managers and their evaluators regarding accountability and evaluation and the level and knowledge of center evaluation staff. The CMHC directors and evaluators are also compared to a random sample of community psychologists and four other criterion groups of professionals regarding their responses to three items of the service provider accountability subscale of the Human Service Ideology scale.

Attitude↗
PubMed1996

Organizational network analysis as a tool for program evaluation.

Health program evaluation is generally focused on an examination of individual program characteristics and accomplishments, yet many programs are part of a broader service system. Evaluation of the role a program plays in that system is an important evaluation question to address. A network analysis of program referral patterns was used to evaluate Connecticut's Healthy Start program. Network analysis showed that Healthy Start played a "broker" role in 4 case study communities, sending and receiving referrals of pregnant women to a higher than average number of other programs. Further, in the urban area case study, competing market players providing services to pregnant women resulted in subsets of services with dense referral patterns within the subsets, but little referral between subsets. Healthy Start was found to be instrumental as an integrator of these otherwise disconnected service subsets.

Child Health Services↗
PubMed1994

Evaluating generalist education programs: a conceptual framework. Generalist program evaluation working group.

This paper provides and applies a conceptual framework and a list of guiding principles for evaluation of generalist education programs. Programs are systematic efforts to achieve specified objectives. Evaluations gather data in order to improve or appraise programs and have a continuum of purposes and methods. Descriptive evaluations characterize the structures, processes, and outcomes of programs; research evaluations definitively assess the effectiveness of a program in terms of outcomes. Intermediate outcomes are changes in knowledge, attitudes, and skills of program participants; conclusive outcomes reflect the quality of performance of graduates in actual clinical situations. Outcomes are affected by inputs--the qualities of students entering the program. Guiding principles of program evaluation ensure that data gathered are useful. The authors illustrate the guiding principles with an actual pilot study that determined that expert pediatricians, general internists, and family practitioners could agree on key generalist competencies and that explores evaluation design based on these competencies. Finally, they consider the implications of undertaking generalist education evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

An ergonomic education and evaluation program for apprentice carpenters.

Eighteen new apprentice carpenters received sixteen hours of ergonomics awareness education as a part of their regular apprenticeship training during 1994 and 1995. An equal number of apprentices received no training but served as controls. The training took place in the Southwest Ohio District Council of Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeship and Training School. The curriculum was designed to be "learner-centered." Instruction included short lectures presented by a journeyman carpenter and emphasized participatory activities in the school's carpentry shop. Ongoing program evaluation assessed trainees' reactions to the content and structure of the curriculum and its influence on their behavior. Trainees and controls completed brief quizzes on ergonomic knowledge. Hands-on exercises enabled trainees to apply recently acquired ergonomic knowledge in the school's carpentry shop. Trainees scored significantly higher on one-half of the post-session quizzes and the comprehensive test. Trainees preferred participatory teaching methods, especially those using redesigned tools (93%) and evaluating ergonomic risks (86%); and they supported continued safety and health education during apprentice training. The authors conclude that apprentice-ship programs should provide regular "learner-centered" occupational safety and health education that includes ergonomics, and these programs should be integrated with their shop-based manual arts instruction.

Ergonomics↗
PubMed1988

Considerations for survival in program evaluation projects.

Program evaluation research is presented as an increasingly necessary and valuable activity. Some "rules" are presented as a vehicle for the delineation of areas of concern that speak to the practical side of conducting this type of research.

Community Mental Health Services↗