Health evaluations and assessment methods

¶ … stakeholders, and what interests do they have? Discuss the considerations that will guide your evaluation planning.

I would perform a program evaluation allowing me to collect data related to the activities, characteristics, and the results of the program. This type of evaluation would also allow me to make recommendations to the director of mental health about what can be done to improve the program and future planning. I would also perform clinical interviews this would allow me to gather psychological information about the participants and evaluate the mental history and changes in the individual's psychological state as a result of the program. (Types of Evaluations)

My evaluation would determine whether or not the program is effective and worth the cost of continuation.

The stakeholders in this case are the adults and teens that are counseled, the community members and the community health center. All of these stakeholders have specific interests in the program; the adults and teens that are counseled are depending on the program to assist them with their educational, emotional and sexual problems; the community members have donated their time to the program and are depending on the program to improve the community and they also want to know that the time that they donated was well spent; the community health center has donated time, money and resources and they want the program to be a good investment.

There would be several considerations that would guide my evaluation of the program. These considerations would include the amount of time that the program has been in operation. This is important because one year is not a long period of time and I wouldn't expect to find the same results in a program that has only been in operation for one year as compared to a program that has been operating for ten years. In other words, there would be major differences between a program that has just begun and a well-established program.

The goals of the program would also play a role in guiding my evaluation. I would question whether or not the goals that have been set forth are being met. For instance I would request documented proof of improvement in grades, reduction in risky sexual behavior and emotional improvement. This would be important to my evaluation because it would establish that the program is needed and beneficial to the community.

I would also do a cost benefit analysis of the program, this would determine whether or not the benefits realized by the program outweigh the cost or vice versa. If the benefits of the program outweigh the cost I would recommend that the program continue and be granted additional funding. But if the cost of the program outweighs the benefits I would recommend that the program be terminated. A cost benefit analysis is important when evaluating a program because it determines whether or not a program is cost effective.