The role that evaluation plays in outcome measures with stakeholders
Outcome measures are of great essentiality when it comes to research because they explain all impacts caused by individual actions. Evaluation on the other hand is a comparison of the strategic plans put in place, against the actual impacts of the research (Reeve and Peerbhoy, 2007, p.120). Evaluations serve several functions during research. For instance, they serve monitoring functions and evaluation of findings among others. However, one of the most important roles of evaluation is that of measuring the outcomes of a program or research. In this case, they serve to relate the outcomes of the research to the objectives, therefore, informing the stakeholders if the objectives have been obtained. This is because in every research conducted, there are stakeholders who may include the patients, medical practitioners, insurance companies, and other medical services institutions among others in the field of healthcare. In addition to this, evaluation of the outcome measures plays a great role in helping the stakeholders to make informed decisions about the quality of services offered by the healthcare facility with regard to the research being conducted. Finally, yet importantly, evaluation helps a great deal in the assessment and improvements of the outcome measures of a program.
How questionnaires help in determining outcome measurement for breastfeeding education for patients in the hospital
There are various methods used to measure the outcomes of research or program, which include interviews, questionnaires, and observation just to mention a few. One such method is the use of questionnaires that have data or information that leads to the desired outcomes (Duffy and Korniewicz, 2002, p.1). In the case where a researcher is conducting a breastfeeding education program for patients in the hospital, a questionnaire will come in handy as a tool for outcome measurement. As such, the questionnaires will have questions on the breastfeeding education program, which the patients will be expected to respond to. For instance, the questionnaire could require the patients who have undergone the breastfeeding program to give their views on the benefits they have gained from the breastfeeding experience. From the information given by the respondents of the questionnaires, the researcher is in a position to measure the outcomes of the entire program. Nevertheless, the questionnaire to be used in any outcome measurement is expected to be sufficient, reliable, clinically feasible, simple, sensitive, and easy to interpret in order to give the correct outcomes (Duffy and Korniewicz, 2002, p.1).
Reference List
Duffy, J, and Korniewicz, D. (2002). Outcome Measurement Using the ANA Safety and Quality Indicators. Web.
Reeve, J, and Peerbhoy, D. (2007). Evaluating the evaluation: Understanding the utility and limitations of evaluation as a tool for organizational learning. Health Education Journal 66 (2): 120–131