Evaluation

The Enhancing Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Primary Health Care (EICP) Initiative is committed to tracking its progress in a systematic way so as much as possible can be learned from this important national health care initiative. Program evaluation provides that systematic approach and contributes to the success and accountability of large and complex projects such as the EICP Initiative. Program evaluation and monitoring help ensure that the goals, objectives and planned outcomes are met. A commitment to quality evaluation also asserts the importance of developing clear plans, inclusive partnerships, and feedback systems that allow learning and continuous improvement.

The EICP evaluation will focus on activities, processes and products that are intended to achieve the immediate, intermediate and longer-term outcomes of the Initiative. Immediate outcomes that reflect the objectives of the Initiative (e.g. increased interest and knowledge among primary health care practitioners about the nature and requirements of successful collaborative care initiatives) are expected by the end of the Initiative. Intermediate and final outcomes will be reached as a result of the momentum created by the Initiative; but represent targets that are well beyond the time horizons and initial mandate of the EICP initiative.

The EICP Evaluation team is working work closely with the Steering Committee and Initiative stakeholders to customize an appropriate approach to program evaluation for this Initiative. In these early days, the team has established the following three pillars for its work:

Collaboration, inclusion and participation: The EICP Evaluation team will work closely with the Steering Committee and other stakeholders to design the evaluation component.

Objectivity: The EICP Evaluation team will establish a rigourous and transparent mechanism for collecting readily verifiable data based on an approved evaluation framework.

Flexibility: The EICP Evaluation team will revisit and review its evaluation and monitoring strategy every six months to ensure that it provides for sufficient input from stakeholders and accurately reflects their situations and concerns.