Evaluation 2020

A common challenge for evaluators is summarizing large volumes of data into a concise and useful format. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds 61 health departments and approximately 100 community-based organizations (CBOs) to conduct HIV prevention activities, including HIV testing and linkage to medical care. Data for over three million HIV test records are reported annually to CDC. CDC has developed a jurisdiction-level report to promote the use of these data by staff that conduct program oversight to funded health departments and CBOs. The report is a vetted template with strategically consolidated monitoring and evaluation data presenting key HIV process and outcome indicators. Discussion of the jurisdiction-level report informs CDC staff about program performance and initiates further action. The speaker will describe his experiences in consolidating quantitative and contextual evaluation data into summary reports and will seek perspectives from other evaluators about promoting optimal data use.

Relevance Statement:

Data use is increasingly important in decision making (e.g., funding, improvements to HIV prevention programs) and is facilitated by evaluation documents that are timely, concise, and visually appealing. In this presentation, we will share our process for consolidating large volumes of evaluation data into a summary report that provides jurisdiction-level data. The focus on jurisdiction-level monitoring and evaluation data provides a benefit over annual reports that focus on national-level data. This summary report will be adapted for future evaluation needs (e.g., adding county-specific information) in areas outlined by the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative. The process reflects the American Evaluation Association’s guiding principle of systematic inquiry and quality standards for effective evaluation outlined in CDC’s Framework for Evaluation, including utility, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy. The presented approach will provide other evaluators an example of achieving optimal data use from large volumes of data. The audience discussion will add to the knowledge of public health program evaluation.

Evaluation2020: Reimagined, Graduate Student and New Evaluator TIG