Community health care's o-process for evaluation: A participatory approach for increasing sustainability

Community Health Care's O-Process for Evaluation Fannie Fonseca-Becker, MPH, Dr.PH, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Amy L. Boore, MPH, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health With so much competition for funding, nonprofit and community health care organizations have a pressing need to demonstrate their effectiveness in serving the public, and to communicate those findings with greater transparency. Community Health Care's O-Process for Evaluation offers step-by-step assistance in achieving these goals, from determining areas for assessment to disseminating the results. The steps-observe the program's needs, operationalize the evaluation plan, obtain and organize reliable data, and report on outputs and outcomes-can be conducted in-house or adapted for use with outsiders, laying a solid foundation for a cycle of continuous evaluation and continued improvement for long-term sustainability. The O-Process method offers expert guidance, decision by decision: Assessment essentials: matching the type of evaluation to a program's needs. Planning and follow-through: goals, objectives, methodologies, team-building. Data collection: qualitative versus quantitative methods. The basics of data analysis and interpretation. Presenting findings: from creating graphs to targeting the audience. PLUS a kit of reproducible data collection tools and worksheets.Administrators in community health care face a variety of concerns: ensuring that objectives are met, making the best use of funds and staff, and communicating the validity of their programs. With the support of Community Health Care's O-Process for Evaluation, more time is available for their most important job: providing health care to the underserved.