The Practice of Health Program Evaluation

Reflecting the latest developments in the field, the Second Edition provides readers with effective methods for evaluating health programs, policies, and health care systems, offering expert guidance for collaborating with stakeholders involved in the process. Author David Grembowski explores evaluation as a three-act play: Act I shows evaluators how to work with decision makers and other groups to identify the questions they want answered; Act II covers selecting appropriate evaluation designs and methods to answer the questions and reveal insights about the program’s impacts, cost-effectiveness, and implementation; and Act III discusses making use of the findings. Packed with relevant examples and detailed explanations, the book offers a step-by-step approach that fully prepares readers to apply research methods in the practice of health program evaluation. 

Table of Contents:
1. Health Program Evaluation: Is It Worth It? Growth of Health Program Evaluation Types of Health Program Evaluation Summary List of Terms Study Questions 2. The Evaluation Process as a Three-Act Play Evaluation as a Three-Act Play Role of the Evaluator Evaluation in a Cultural Context Ethical Issues Evaluation Standards Summary List of Terms Study Questions Act I: Asking the Question 3. Developing Evaluation Questions Step 1: Specify Program Theory Step 2: Specify Program Objectives Step 3: Translate Program Theory and Objectives Into Evaluation Questions Step 4: Select Key Questions Assessment of Fit Summary List of Terms Study Questions Act II: Answering the Question; Scene 1: Developing the Evaluation Design to Answer the Questions 4. Evaluation of Program Impacts Quasi-Experimental Study Designs Counterfactuals and Experimental Study Designs Statistical Threats to Validity Generalizability of Impact Evaluation Results Evaluation of Impact Designs and Meta-Analysis Summary List of Terms Study Questions 5. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: An Aid to Decision Making Comparing Program Costs and Effects: The Cost-Effectiveness Ratio Types of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Steps in Conducting a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Evaluation of Program Effects and Costs Summary List of Terms Study Questions 6. Evaluation of Program Implementation Types of Evaluation Designs for Answering Implementation Questions Types of Implementation Questions and Designs for Answering Them Summary List of Terms Study Questions Act II: Answering the Question; Scenes 2 and 3: Developing the Methods to Carry Out the Design and Conducting the Evaluation 7. Population and Sampling Step 1: Identify the Target Populations of the Evaluation Step 2: Identify the Eligible Members of Each Target Population Step 3: Decide Whether Probability of Nonprobability Sampling is Necessary Step 4: Choose a Nonprobability Sampling Design for Answering an Evaluation Question Step 5: Choose a Probability Sampling Design Answering an Evaluation Question Step 6: Determine Minimum Sample Size Requirements Step 7: Select the Sample Summary List of Terms Study Questions 8. Measurement and Data Collection Measurement and Data Collection in Quantitative Evaluations Data Collection in Qualitative Evaluations Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Evaluations Management of Data Collection Summary Resources List of Terms Study Questions 9. Data Analysis Introduction Getting Started: What′s the Question? Qualitative Data Analysis Quantitative Data Analysis Summary List of Terms Study Questions Act III: Using the Answers in Decision Making 10. Disseminating the Answers to Evaluation Questions Scene 1: Translating Evaluation Answers Back Into Policy Language Scene 2: Developing a Dissemination Plan for Evaluation Answers Scene 3: Using the Answers in Decision Making and the Policy Cycle How Answers Are Used by Decision Makers Summary List of Terms Study Questions 11. Epilogue

About the Author :
David Grembowski, Ph.D., M.A., is a professor in the Department of Health Ser- vices in the School of Public Health and the Department of Oral Health Sciences in the School of Dentistry, and adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology, at the University of Washington. He has taught health program evaluation to graduate students for more than twenty years. His evaluation interests are prevention, the performance of health programs and health care systems, survey research methods, and the social determinants of population health. His other work has examined efforts to improve quality by increasing access to care in integrated delivery systems; pharmacy outreach to provide statins preventively to patients with diabetes; managed care and physician referrals; managed care and patient-physician relationships and physician job satisfaction; cost-effectiveness of preventive services for older adults; cost-sharing and seeing out-of-network physicians; social gradients in oral health; local health department spending and racial/ethnic disparities in mortality rates; fluoridation effects on oral health and dental demand; financial incentives and dentist adoption of preventive technologies; effects of dental insurance on dental demand; and the link between mother and child access to dental care.  

Review :
"I’ve used this textbook with public health graduate students for years, and both the students and I appreciate the practical, organized, accessible approach. . . . [The] Second Edition reflects important developments in the evaluation field . . . [and] is a book that students will want to keep on their bookshelves long after graduating, and will find themselves consulting over the course of their careers." "This text identifies the key areas facing today’s public health researchers, practitioners, and students." Praise for the Previous Edition "A well-organized and readable text on evaluating health programs. It covers the essentials of choosing an evaluation design, planning and conducting the evaluation, and using the results of the evaluation." "I found many instances where I thought students would get key concepts and ideas more quickly than they would from other texts. I was thrilled to see a discussion of ethics and culture in the text. The author provides clear explanations of important concepts and uses examples throughout the text."