The main goal of the program consists in introducing incentives for employees to quit smoking and reduce costs in health care insurance. Moreover, the program can significantly improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the employees.
Integrating healthy lifestyles to the hospital reduces employees’ costs as well (Posavac & Carey, 1997a, p. 244). Therefore, the evaluation process of the smoking cessation program has introduced new perspectives for development and advancement of employees values in particular and corporate culture in general.
In addition, the decrease in insurance rates can introduce more resources for improving the quality of services.
With regard to the case study at issue, development of appropriate principles and approach among employees allow health care professionals to foster integration of new directions and philosophical system improving the common purpose of health care (Posavac & Carey, 1997a, p. 244).
More importantly, the program on smoking cessation can also improve the image of the medical establishment and provide new bonus schemes for new job applicants. Such a perspective is closely associated with global perspectives of program development and implementation.
Sustaining the wellbeing of employees is an important part of social corporate responsibility imposed on employers and, therefore, the introduction of health promotion programs is a step forward to enrichment of organizational culture.
The guiding principles and objectives introduced by health promotion reforms contribute greatly to the evaluation process because they enable individuals to consider socioeconomic, personal, and environmental aspects influencing their health (Posavac & Carey, 1997a, p. 244).
In addition, sustainable growth is also ensured by health promoted programs because they bring in changes to individuals’ lifestyles, as well as motivate hospital communities to practice ethical and moral values (Posavac & Carey, 1997a. p. 244).
Finally, program objectives and goals allow hospitals to work out a multi-strategic approach to organizing change and developing community, legislation, communication, and education.
Steps and Phases of Evaluation
The evaluation process included the analysis employees’ readiness to quit smoking, as well as predict the ration of males and females who are expected to quit smoking.
The second stage of the evaluation proves revealed the benefits of the program for the hospital in terms of discount rates for employees, age categories involved in the program. All these evaluations have been conducted through various databases.
They were premised on the related researches as well (Posavac & Carey, 1997b, p. 301). The case revealing the program introduces the main stages of improvement-oriented model, which serves as a powerful tool for estimating programs outcomes (Posavac & Carey, 1997b, p. 301).
With regard to the program goals and objectives, the evaluation process could be divided into the several phases, including assessing the impact and program outcomes, determining causation, evaluating the sensitivity and validity of the program.
Process analysis does not focus on the theoretical frameworks of the program, but on its practical implementation. The evaluation explains whether the target groups are reached and people achieved the intended purposes. The effectiveness of the program refers to the causal effects of the health-promoted programs.
The effectiveness of the program depends on the changes it introduced to the employed environment. Self-selection bias is the most common method to determining causation. This process consists in selection of participants for the program. The very decision to take part in the program testifies to its importance for the organization.
References
Posavac, E. J., & Carey, R. G. (1997a). Case Study 6. The Value of Providing Smoking Cessation Clinics for Employees on Company Time. In E. J. Posavac, & R. G. Carey (Eds.). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies. (pp. 244-246) US: Prentice Hall.
Posavac, E. J., & Carey, R. G. (1997b). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies. US: Prentice Hall.