A Philosophical Outlook on Conducting a Thorough Program Evaluation in Healthcare

As a program evaluation coordinator in the healthcare industry, most of us share the overwhelming pressure of meeting the needs and concerns of all stakeholders involved in the program that is being evaluated. Furthermore, we share the fears that so often cripple or incapacitate the creativity that leads to a successfully useful, feasible, ethical, and accurately effective program evaluation (CDC, 2021).

To undergo a successful program evaluation in healthcare, the program evaluator must implement a systematic method to enhance and account for public health actions. Public health professionals are tasked with developing a framework for evaluation that provides direction toward their use of program evaluation. The direction must be practical while providing a constructed method to outline and categorize crucial components of program evaluation. The flow of the direction will be aimed at ongoing evaluation strategies that include all program stakeholders, as well as evaluation experts (CDC, 2021).

Who knows, maybe it is a difficult task to fully understand and implement the many elements of a framework that is needed to capture the planning of an effective public health evaluation program (CDC, 2021). However, if program evaluation coordinators took a more philosophical outlook on the process, one like that of Anais Nin, that states, “We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are,” maybe the process would flow a little easier.

Adopting this viewpoint, the program evaluation expert would understand that the idea that each stakeholder or evaluation expert who views an object or thing will see it and process it differently — through their own filters and perceptions. So, who really can see through objective lens? Maybe none of us. Each person views a thing, object, or situation with their own belief systems, preconceptions, interpretations, and frame of mind (Noor & Roscher, 2021). A program evaluator must then realize that the way we see things reflects who we are and what matters to us.

Understanding this mindset puts the program evaluator in a more objective point-of-view — one that allows them to focus and attune to their stakeholders as well as they possible can. That understanding can make all the difference and positions them to walk in the shoes of their stakeholders as they proceed to plan, develop, and implement a successful healthcare evaluation program.

References

Cdc.gov. (2021). Framework For Program Evaluation — CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/eval/framework/index.htm

Noor, N. and Roscher, K., (2021). What Does “We Don’t See Things As They Are — We See Them As We Are” Mean?. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/152698/what-does-we- dont-see-things-as-they-are-we-see-them-as-we-are-mean