Evaluation Plan for a Final Evidence-Based Practice Project on Childhood Obesity

Rationale for Methods of Collecting Outcome Data

Task:

An evaluation plan is a document detailing how to monitors and evaluate a program as well as how intended results can be used to improve decision-making. In other words, the evaluation plan clarifies the what, how, and why matters of a program. An evaluation plan is the same as a roadmap as it defines steeps required to assess the process and outcomes. The evaluation plan is useful in clarifying direction to take based on priorities, time, resources, and skills. In this document, I will develop an evaluation plan for a final evidence-based practice project on childhood obesity.

The Rationale for Methods of Collecting Outcome Data

Outcome data collection approaches such as interviews, surveys, follow-up phone calls, and use of administrative records like checklist have significant application in providing information about program progress. The primary benefit of using a survey is that it allows collecting progress data from a large population group. Interviews give a holistic picture of the program and enable room for clarification or response as they come. For that reason, applying interviews as a data collection method helps delve-deeply into complex and emerging issues (Estrada et al., 2014). Study of previous initiatives or pulling out the old records provide valuable touch to evaluate how changes have taken place. When there is a block of data to study, it could be economical, and a few changes in the current efforts can be essayed to build in tracking progress down the road. Follow up calls are a practical approach in this situation because they enable reach information about implemented progress and assess if the progress is in the desired directions (Taveras et al., 2015). Regarding the childhood obesity programs, a grantee representative can call patients and ask how things tuned out with the interventions. Follow-up call generates detailed or specific information about outcomes since the caller would ask questions to the patient’s case. Follow-up telephones call present opportunities about why a patient was or was not successful.

Way Outcome Measures Evaluate Project Objective

Evaluation outcome is usually concerned with the long-term effects of a program. It generally can be used to measure program goals by tracking whether the process is in the right pathway (Porter, Larsson & Lee, 2016). The right path includes meeting specific objectives that would result in the attainment of intended project goals. For example, an end goal in a childhood obesity program can be to reduce a patient’s body mass. In that case, one objective towards that goal would be changing the attitude of a patient towards certain types of food. The outcome measure- the change in the patient’s attitude towards food, help evaluate the extent to which project objective such as reducing body weight can be met. Change in body weight can be achieved in various ways, like observing a specific diet. Factors like attitudes can compromise observation of a diet by a patient. Change in attitude impacts how a patient takes his or her food, which implies the outcome measure shine light on the direction of the overall program. Outcome evaluation measures how well a program goal has been achieved. After an evaluation program, it is easy to answer a question like how overall goals have been attained, what factors outside the program contributed to the desired change, or note any unintended change caused by a program.

Way Outcome Measures Evaluate Project Objective

How Outcomes Will be Measured

Based on the evidence, outcomes would be measured by asking clinical questions that can produce scientific answers. Questions would be posed relative to patients’ problems to facilitate critical appraisal of evidence. For example, questions related to change in psychological outcomes like attitudes can be asked. Or physiologically related questions such as asking about the change in body weight. Also, the outcomes can be measured by evaluating the frequency in the rate of re-admission or discharging plan. Once the questions have been asked, the best available evidence will be obtained through the application of a PICOT model (Sireci & Faulkner-Bond, 2014). After searching for the evidence, the validity will be tested by looking at the results of the study. The reliability of the results entails knowledge on what changed after the program was implemented. For example, if a change in attitude helped adopt the right diet for an obese patient, then the results were reliable. Additionally, the result should assist in caring for patients as a way of justifying the level of applicability.

Strategies if Outcomes do not Give Positive Outcomes

In case the outcomes do not provide positive results, it would be appropriate to analyze the cause of failure, and if it is methodological issues, then the process would have to start again. Different approaches can be adopted in case the failure to obtained good results emerged from methodological issues. Another strategy is to promote more=re informed diagnosis. Successful intervention and path towards positive outcomes of patients should begin with a correct and timely diagnosis. Thus, if the outcomes do not give positive results, a diagnosis has to be done again.

Implications for Practice and Future Research

The evaluation process of evidence-based practice has an impact on strategies that can be adopted to prevent further health complication problems. Childhood obesity is prevalent in many states and has turned out to be a global epidemic (Skinner & Skelton, 2014). Evaluating program outcomes had significant benefits in preventing the prevalence of diseases in adulthood. Future research includes research on how genes and environmental factors interact to result in obesity.

In conclusion, a solution to the obesity crisis requires t know what is working and whether the intended measures have been met; hence, the need for an evaluation process.  An evaluation process would depend on common indicators, surveillance to track changes and performance monitoring. Outcomes data which helps track general objectives are obtained through approaches like questionnaires or checklists, which takes less time with relatively low costs.