Health Services Evaluation

Catalog description

Pre-requisites: BIOE 8005, EPID 8002. This course introduces students to the role of evaluation in program management, with an emphasis on the types of evaluation questions that are appropriate at different stages of program history and the methods that can be applied to answer them. Students will recognize strengths and limitations of evaluation methods and will understand their applicability for decision -making, contingent on the stage of program implementation as well as on political, time ethical, and fiscal constraints. Using interactive l ectures and group discussions, students are expected to understand the basic methodological tools of epidemiology and biostatistics to access the strengths and limitations of the different evaluation design and to critically read the research literature. B y the end of the course, students will be able to justify a need for an external evaluation and prepare a request for applications for an evaluation of a health program or service.