Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T16:52:42.956Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Measuring Health Program Effectiveness in the Field: An Assessment Tool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Sharon M. McDonnell ,
Abdiaziz S. Yassin ,
Wayne G. Brown ,
Helen N. Perry  and
Stephen B. Thacker
Sharon M. McDonnell*
Affiliation:
Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences-Educational Programs, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Abdiaziz S. Yassin
Affiliation:
Division of International Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Wayne G. Brown
Affiliation:
Coordinating Office for Global Health, Division of Epidemiology and Surveillance Capacity Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Helen N. Perry
Affiliation:
Division of Emerging Infections and Surveillance Services, National Center for Prevention, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Stephen B. Thacker
Affiliation:
Office of Workforce and Career Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
*
Sharon M. McDonnell, MD, MPH c/o Dartmouth Medical School, PO Box 197 Peacham, Vermont 05862, USA E-mail: sharon.mcdonnell@dartmouth.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

To assist field workers in program evaluation and to explicitly discuss program strengths and weaknesses, a practical method to estimate the effectiveness of public health interventions within the existing program capacity was developed. The method and materials were tested in seven countries (Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Ghana). In this method, four core components are assessed using a questionnaire: (1) the efficacy of the intervention; (2) the level of existing human resources (i.e., quality of recruitment, training, and continuing education); (3) the infrastructure (i.e., supplies, salary, transportation, and supervision); and (4) the level of community support (i.e., access and demand). Using the assessment tool provided, program staff can determine if all necessary elements are in place for a successful program that can deliver the specific intervention. Based on the results of the assessment program, weaknesses can be identified, explicitly discussed, and addressed.The usefulness of this tool in humanitarian relief may be twofold: (1) to assess the design and implementation of effective programs; and (2) to highlight the inevitable need for capacity building as the disaster situation evolves.

Keywords

capacity developmentevaluation and program effectivenessfield program evaluationhealth worker traininghumanitarian reliefprogram evaluation
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 5 , October 2007 , pp. 396 - 405
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Zwi, AB: How should the health community respond to violent political conflict? PLoS Med 2004;1(1):e14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Bolton, P, Bass, J, Murray, L, et al. : Expanding the scope of humanitarian program evaluation. Prehospital Disast Med 2007;22(5):390–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Weisbrod, BA: Costs and benefits of medical research: A case study of poliomyelitis. J Polit Econ 1971;79:527–544.Google Scholar
4.Shepard, DS, Sanoh, L, Coffi, E: Cost-effectiveness of the expanded programme on immunization in the Ivory Coast: A preliminary assessment. Soc Sci Med 1986;22(3):369–377.Google Scholar
5.Glasgow, RE, Vogt, TM, Boles, SM: Evaluating the public health impact of health promotion interventions: The RE-AIM framework. Am J Public Health 1999;89:1322–1327.Google Scholar
6.Gilson, L: Discussion in defense and pursuit of equity. Soc Sci Med 1996;47:1891–1896.Google Scholar
7.Guidebook for Planning Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction. Chapter 3: Capacity Building. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning. Available at www.unesco.org/iiep. Accessed 10 June 2007.Google Scholar
8.Potter, C, Brough, R: Systemic capacity building: A hierarchy of needs. Health Policy Plan 2004:19(5):336–345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Thacker, SB, Ikeda, RM, Gieseker, KE, et al. : The evidence base for public health informing policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Am J Prev Med 2005:29(3):227–233.Google ScholarPubMed
10.Over, M: Economics for Health Sector Analysis: Concepts and Cases. Washington DC: World Bank, 1991, pp 189–190.Google Scholar
11.World Bank: Issues and Options in Health Financing in Turkey. World Bank Report No. 8042-TU. Washington DC: World Bank, 1990.Google Scholar
12.Teutsch, SM, Haddix, AC: Decision Analysis for Public Health. In: Haddix, A, Teutsch, SM, Shaffer, PA, et al. (eds), Prevention Effectiveness: A Guide to Decision Analysis and Economic Evaluation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.Google Scholar
13.Tucker, AW, Haddix, AC, Bresee, JS, et al. : Cost-effectiveness analysis of a rotavirus immunization program for the United States. JAMA 1998;279(17):1371–1376.Google Scholar
14.Mowafi, H. Nowak, K, Hein, K: Facing the challenges in human resources for humanitarian health. Prehospital Disast Med 2007;22(5):351–359.Google Scholar
15.El Zein, HA, Birmingham, ME, Karrar, ZA, et al. : Rehabilitation of the expanded programme on immunization in Sudan following a poliomyelitis outbreak. Bull World Health Organ 1998;76(4):335–341.Google Scholar
16.Harmon, RG: Training and education for public health: The role of the US Public Health Service. Am J Prev Med 1996;12:151–155.Google Scholar
17.Davis, DA, Thomson, MS, Oxman, AD, et al. : Changing physician performance: A systematic review of the effect of continuing medical education strategies. JAMA 1995;274:700–705.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.White, ME, McDonnell, SM, Werker, DH, et al. : Partners in international applied epidemiology and training and service, 1975–2001. Am J Epidemiol 2001;154:993–999.Google Scholar
19.US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Improving the Quality. Atlanta: CDC, 1996.Google Scholar
20.Bryce, J, Cutts, F, Naimoli, JF, et al. : What have teachers learnt? Lancet 1993;342(8864):160–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Brook, RH: Implementing medical guidelines. Lancet 1995;346:132.Google Scholar
22.Hardie, M: Management training in the 1980s. World Health Forum 1981;2:535–537.Google Scholar
23.Simmonds, S, Bennett-Jones, N: Human resource development: The management, planning, and training of health personnel. Health Policy Plan 1989;4:187–196.Google Scholar
24.Bhattacharji, S, Abraham, S, Muliyil, J, et al. : Evaluating community health worker performance in India. Health Policy Plan 1986;1(3):232–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25.Nsubuga, P, Eseko, N, Wuhib, T, et al. : Structure and function of infectious disease surveillance and response, United Republic of Tanzania, 1998. Bull World Health Organ 2002;80(3):196–202.Google Scholar
26.US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Assessment of infectious disease surveillance—Uganda, 2000. MMWR 2000;49(30):687–691.Google Scholar
27.Ruck, NF, Hafeez, M, Manzur, S, et al. : Assessing management training needs: A study in the Punjab health services, Pakistan. J Hlth Pop Dev Count 1999;2(1):78–87.Google Scholar
28.Jha, P, Bangoura, O, Ranson, K: The cost-effectiveness of forty health interventions in Guinea. Health Policy Plan 1998;13(3):249–262.Google Scholar
29.Ferrinho, P, Lerberghe, WV, Julien, MR, et al. : How and why public sector doctors engage in private practice in Portugese-speaking African countries. Health Policy Plan 1998;13:332–328.Google Scholar
30.Brearley, S: The medical manpower crisis: Who can solve it? Health Serv Manpow Rev 1984;10:8–10.Google Scholar
31.Curtale, F, Sirwakoti, B, Lagrosa, C, et al. : Improving skills and utilization of community health volunteers in Nepal. Soc Sci Med 1995;40(8):1117–1125.Google Scholar
32.Soumerai, SB, Avorn, J: Principles of educational outreach (“academic detailing”) to improve clinical decision making. JAMA 1990;263:549–556.Google Scholar
33.Henderson, DA: Surveillance of smallpox. Int J Epidemiol 1978;5:19–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34.Lomas, J, Enkin, M, Anderson, GM, et al. : Opinion leaders versus audit and feedback to implement practices guidelines. Delivery after previous cesarean section. JAMA 1991;265:2202–2207.Google Scholar
35.Almroth, S, Latham, MC: Rational home management of diarhoea. Lancet 1995;345:709–711.Google Scholar
36.Foege, WH, Hogan, RC, Newton, LH: Surveillance projects for selected diseases. Int J Epidemiol 1976;5:29–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37.Lamboray, JL, Laing, C: Partners for better health. World Health Forum 1984;5:30–34.Google Scholar
38.Arblaster, L, Lambert, M, Entwhistle, V, et al. : A systematic review of the effectiveness of health service interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in health. J Health Serv Res Policy 1996;1:92–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39.Janovsky, K, Cassels, A: Health Policy and Systems Research: Issues, Methods and Priorities. In: Janovsky, K (ed), Health Policy and Systems Development: An Agenda for Research. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1996, pp 11–23.Google Scholar
40.Conn, CP, Jenkins, P, Touray, SO: Strengthening health management: experience of district teams in the Gambia. Health Policy Plan 1996, 11(1):64–71.Google Scholar
41.MacCarquodale, DW: Primary health care in the Dominican Republic: A study of health worker effectiveness. J Trop Med Hyg 1982;85:251–254.Google Scholar
45.Butter, I, Mejia, A: Too many doctors. World Health Forum 1987;8:494–500.Google Scholar
46.McPherson, A, Powell, RN: Manpower and Primary Health Care: Guidelines for Improving/Expanding Health Services Coverage in Developing Countries. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1978.Google Scholar
47.US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The guide to community preventive services:What works to promote health? Atlanta: CDC.Available at http://www.thecommunityguide.org/library/book. Accessed 14 June 2007.Google Scholar
48.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Guide to clinical preventive services, 2006. Recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force. Available at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/pocketgd.htm. Accessed 14 June 2007.Google Scholar