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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
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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

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