New Brunswick Extra Brunswick Program Evaluation Proposal New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program Evaluation Proposal

The New Brunswick EMP (Extra Mural Program) works under the aegis and supervision of RHAs (Regional Health Authorities) to bring health services to people's homes. It is open to residents regardless of age as long as they meet eligibility criteria and focuses on client and family. The EMP looks to succeed by bringing together all parties, including health care providers, doctors, clients and patients' family in a coordinated manner. The Extra-Mural Program attains its goal and mandate via provision of services that include acute, palliative, chronic, rehabilitative and supportive care services. All the EMP clients are able to access services that include medical, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, clinical dietetics, social work, pharmacy, speech language pathology, and nursing care, which are available on a 24/7 basis (New Nouveau Brunswick, n. d.). This evaluation proposal's goal is determination of program effectiveness. The evaluation will look into program components that function optimally and ought to be replicated and expanded into other initiatives in the future. Program Evaluation aims at: Demonstrating effectiveness of program to financiers; Improving program effectiveness and implementation; Documenting program accomplishments; Managing limited resources more effectively; Justifying current funding for the program; and Supporting the necessity for increased funding levels.

Evaluation will serve to ensure that: I employ scientific bases for decision-making; services are result-oriented and socially equitable; service agencies' performance is effective; and provinces and provincial agencies are responsible for their respective services. This can be achieved by using clear plans, feedback systems and inclusive partnerships to enable constant improvements and learning. Evaluation effectiveness is facilitated by adherence to pre-set standards. Stakeholder engagement promotes involvement, input, and power-sharing of organizations and individuals investing in evaluation findings. This aids me, as stakeholder engagement makes their unique views heard and ensures evaluation deals with program goals, functions and results. It enhances the likelihood of evaluation efficacy, improves its credibility, safeguards human subjects, fosters cultural competence, and aids in circumventing real/felt conflicts of interest.

Background

I have been chosen as the lead program evaluator for the New Brunswick EMP due to my expertise in this area. The team's program evaluators bring with them different expertise and are assigned evaluation areas based on them. To accept this position is to commit to fulfilling all requisite obligations. The program evaluator's role is partnering with the organization and improving the EMP (Module 3: The Role of the Program Evaluator, n.d). I need to interact with concerned parties, including consultants, collaborators interested in program success, and other stakeholders to find means to plan and carry out evaluations. I have to come up with the evaluation plan, budget, and goals, and organize collection of necessary information, present results and hold discussions with consultants (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Throughout these dealings, I must remember ethical standards (e.g. dealing considerately and fairly with people.) I am ethically and professionally bound to report results honestly and fully. Another important aspect is human subject protection. That is, evaluators must make sure subjects are unharmed, participation is voluntary and subject confidentiality and privacy is protected. One key obligation is clarifying what can and can't be done. I must be honest about how far we can clearly judge project services quality and outcome utility, how far the project assumes responsibility for changes occurring, and limitations to generalizability of results to conditions in future (Managing the Evaluator: Roles, Responsibilities and Maintaining the Relationship, n.d).

Considerable personal bias may arise if program evaluator advocates it, as making statements not in its favour will be hard. Also, managers aren't entrusted to assess their own programs, since they will have conflicting interests. Individuals involved in program development may be biased, and have their own suggestions implemented. They may be subjective and look to ensure that their input is more valuable (Bowen, n. d.).

Program Profile

The EMP in New Brunswick serves in the communities and in the homes where the patients are and it does not discriminate on the basis of age. The program, under management of the Regional Health Authorities, offers quality home health care services to all eligible residents if their needs can safely be met in the community. The program offers various options to the patients and these include:

The option of foregoing time in hospital

The choice to forego being admitted to a nursing home

The...

Thus, the EMP strives to come up with a targeted plan of care to fulfil the particular needs of the patient (Extra- Mural Program, n. d.).
Description of the Organization

The organization, which is based in New Brunswick, through various programs, offer different services in the homes and communities in the area with professionalism. It not only helps to enhance the health of the patient, but also endeavours to prevent illness and help people to regain and maintain good health. All this happens in the settings of the home and the community. In palliative care, the organization strives to provide for quality life to the satisfaction of the patient (Vitalite Health Network, 2011). In this paper, the focus will be on how the program can advance the priority of institutions using the distinctive and joint influence of the program. In the evaluation of the program in a sequential way, the focus is on the objectives of the program, and on the successful ongoing enhancements to the program. All assessments have a goal of informing decisions. Thus, the points of examining a program are:

Finding out how much progress has been made toward achieving the goals.

Finding ways of enhancing the program's performance.

The purpose of carrying out this evaluation is to find out the level the project has achieved the objectives set out in the plan strategically as well as the reports indicating the culpability. This evaluation is thus interested in confirming the results of EMP. Thereby, it seeks to establish the use and suitability of the measures in place to inspect and assess such projects. In the area of health, the achievement of objectives is assessed and feedback given in the form of the results and the output. These results or outcomes are for an extended period and include the impact on the client, the families and the communities, in terms of health. The output of a program is reported for a short period of time and can be limited to assess the reach of the program, such as how many people they serve in terms of patients and the communities.

This proposal consists of the research and analysis to be carried out and presented in an outline; and the plan of work, the schedule for reports and things to be achieved. The researchers and consultants should be included in the project so that it can be carried out effectively and successfully (Appalachian Regional Commission, 2012).

Research Questions

Though evaluation team members usually brainstorm and generate several possible questions, the following will be prioritized as key program aspects to be studied at this time.

For ascertaining if program implementation is proceeding as planned: Have appropriate personnel been recruited? Have they been trained properly? What challenges was the program tasked to tackle? How were these problems addressed? What were the program's long-term goals? Were they achieved? Is the program working? How does it relate to long-term goals? What are the characteristics of program beneficiaries? What contributed to program objective achievement? What measures accurately reveal the benefits the program has brought about and its impact on the community in the long-term? (Appalachian Regional Commission, 2012)

For determining if program objectives are met: Has proper testing and treatment been conducted for more patients? Are they complying with treatment (not lost to care and follow-up)?

The manager and team in charge of the program can better comprehend its structure by looking into its objectives, and modus operandi to improve the lives of clients. Clear objectives and work procedure requirements and expectations will help people be more goal-oriented and focussed, and work towards achieving program objectives. There is a general call to be accountable for resources allocated to these programs as they utilize funds from the public and others. At the same time, those who utilise these services and who make time to participate in them (workers and volunteers), need to know if the programs are making an impact and are effective in their pursuit. Thus the measurement of outcomes not only works to bring accountability into focus, but also to enable improvements to be made. Learning can be achieved through the assessment of outcomes so that what is found out can be fed back into the system and result in improvements. Findings can thus be incorporated in the activities of…