Evaluation: what to consider Commonly asked questions about how to approach evaluation of quality improvement in health care
March 2015
Questions covered
- Why do an evaluation?
- What are the different types of evaluation?
- What are the design considerations for an evaluation?
- What are we comparing our intervention with?
- How does evaluation differ from other forms of measurement?
- What practical issues should we consider?
- When should we start and finish an evaluation?
- How do we cope with changes in the intervention when the evaluation is underway?
- Should we do the evaluation ourselves or commission an external team?
- How do we communicate evaluation findings?
Evaluation is an essential part of quality improvement and when done well, it can help solve problems, inform decision making and build knowledge.
While evaluation comes in many shapes and sizes, its key purpose is to help us to develop a deeper understanding of how best to improve health care.
People involved in quality improvement often ask us about how to approach evaluation. Inspired by the most commonly asked questions, this guide is intended to assist those new to evaluation by suggesting methodological and practical considerations and providing resources to support further learning.
The guide is not prescriptive or step-by-step as people and organisations will have very diverse evaluation needs. Evaluation is an essential part of quality improvement and when done well it can help solve problems, inform decision making and build knowledge.
Cite this publication
Further reading
Work with us
We look for talented and passionate individuals as everyone at the Health Foundation has an important role to play.
View current vacanciesThe Q community
Q is an initiative connecting people with improvement expertise across the UK.
Find out more
