A program evaluation can assess the effectiveness of a program and evaluate its feasibility and acceptability. It involves three levels of evaluation: structural evaluation, process evaluation and outcome evaluation.
Such an approach is based on discovering the unique factors within a program and site of implementation (i.e. leadership, relationships, culture, organization) that influence the outcomes. We utilize a mixed methods data analysis approach.
The rigorous technique includes analyses of the following:
- quantitative measures - demographics, retrospective and prospective health measures, satisfaction surveys, complementary and alternative medicine ratings, etc.
- qualitative data - interviews and focus groups with stakeholders such as participants, patients, providers, key informants
- observational data - research observer notes
- administrative data - organizational charts, cost and use data
By using mixed methods, we utilize statistically reliable information obtained from numerical measurement to be backed up by and enriched by information about the program stakeholders’ explanations.