DNP Scholarly Program Evaluation

DNP Scholarly Program Evaluation

The pursuit of quality mental healthcare remains an agenda for many governments and healthcare agencies across the globe. Quality improvement measures in mental healthcare have long been centred on resource allocation, with efforts skewed towards resource expansion and addressing identified barriers to service provision. The DNP project sought to address the stigmatization of mental healthcare in ethnic minority groups. This project was premised on the quality improvement initiatives in mental healthcare and is aimed at providing recommendations that will see knowledge expansion and subsequent reduction of stigma on mental health illness across ethnic minority communities. This paper seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of this project and detail how data will be analyzed and the results utilized.

Evaluation Models

Evaluation models provide a systematic way of using data to answer questions about a program. These models focus on the several objects of the project to ascertain its effectiveness in answering its intended question (Follwell et al., 2021). Several evaluation models exist. The goal-based model, postulated by Michael Scriven, remains suitable in evaluating the DNP project on the impact of mental health stigmatization in ethnic minority groups.

The Goal-Based Model

The goal-based evaluation model focuses on the goals and objectives of the project. It assesses the project outcomes against the stated objectives. In this regard, the stated objectives form the metrics upon which the program is evaluated. The evaluators’ role, in this respect, is to gather and analyze data on how the program outcomes best conform with the objectives and give a recommendation based on this conformity (Follwell et al., 2021). A critical question asked when this model is used is whether the program attained its goals.

Rationale for Choosing the Goal-Based Model

The goal-based model seeks to assess the conformity of the program outcomes with the stated objectives. This model is best suited to evaluate the project on quality improvements in mental healthcare through elucidation of the impacts of mental health stigma. This is because this model interrogates the impacts, effectiveness, and efficiency of the project in answering the research question. By gathering data on how mental health stigma impacts communities and individuals, this project can make recommendations that inform quality improvements in mental healthcare. The success or failure of the project will be determined by how well it addresses the stated objectives. As Alhaj (2019) notes, the goal-based approach in evaluating programs is impact-based and useful when the project prospect is to change organizational processes. In this project, the outcomes are expected to inform aspects of mental healthcare that result in quality enhancement.

Evaluation of Objectives

Scholarly projects often seek to address gaps in contemporary medical practice. Lee et al. (2020) note that the effectiveness of scholarly projects is determined by how best they answer clinical questions and the recommendations they give for improving clinical processes. In their setting, projects usually define the clinical questions they seek to answer. For instance, the quality improvement in mental healthcare project sought to identify barriers to mental healthcare and how mental health stigma impacts patients with mental health illnesses. The success of the project will be evaluated based on how it addresses these project goals and the methodologies it utilizes to address them.

Goal #1: To Identify Barriers to Quality Mental Healthcare

The resolve to enhance the quality of mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups has been impeded by several factors. One of the ways to address this is to identify individual barriers to quality mental healthcare in these communities. Saade et al. (2023) note that the traditional problems of healthcare disparity and poor access to healthcare that affect ethnic minority groups are often compounded in mental healthcare. Identifying individual barriers to mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups is thus fundamental in quality improvement measures for mental healthcare among members of this group. This goal will be evaluated based on data review. The objectives to effectively meet this goal are to locate literature on barriers to mental healthcare, analyze data obtained from these resources, and consolidate these findings to elucidate individual barriers to mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups.

Objective #1: Locating Literature on Barriers to Mental Healthcare

Several studies have been done on mental healthcare. Resources that detail specific barriers to quality mental healthcare are domiciled in reputable databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. A literature search using search terms such as “barriers to mental healthcare” and “mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups” reveals several research articles on the same. This objective is met when peer-reviewed literature on the barriers to quality mental healthcare is located.

Objective #2: Analyzing and Consolidating Literature Findings

The CRAAP criterion will be used to evaluate this objective. The CRAAP criteria detail the currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose of research articles. Articles selected to be used to inform specific barriers to quality mental healthcare must meet the CRAAP criteria. The resources selected should also be peer-reviewed research articles. These resources will be further analyzed, and their findings will be consolidated to inform individual barriers to mental healthcare. This objective is met when the barriers to quality mental healthcare are outlined and backed by literature.

Goal #2: To Improve the Quality of Mental Healthcare by Elucidating the Impact of Mental Health Stigma on Ethnic Minority Groups

Mental health stigmatization impedes quality mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups. This is because stigmatization reduces the adoption of mental healthcare resources and diminishes individuals’ health-seeking behaviour among ethnic minority groups (Eylem et al., 2020). As a quality improvement measure, lessening mental health stigma will increase the adoption of mental healthcare resources and enhance individuals’ and communities’ health-seeking behaviour. The individual metrics used in measuring and evaluating this goal include the elucidation of the impact of mental health stigma among ethnic minority groups and the determination of how to lessen the stigma in these communities.

Objective #1: To Elucidate the Impact of Mental Health Stigma on Ethnic Minority Groups

A literature search yields the specific effects of stigmatization of mental health illnesses on people with these illnesses. This objective can be attained through a literature review on the impact of mental health disorders on the sufferers. This review emphasizes the need to address mental health stigma as it highlights the patient-level effects of mental health stigma. Metrics that demonstrate that this objective is met include the identification of patient-level impacts of mental health stigmatization in ethnic minority communities.

Objective #2: To Address Mental Health Stigma as a Quality Compromise in Mental Healthcare

Mental health stigma is a source of quality compromise in mental healthcare. Interventions that lessen stigmatization improve the adoption of mental healthcare resources and improve health-seeking behavior (Javed et al., 2021). The indices that can be used to evaluate this objective include verbalization of mental health illnesses among ethnic minority groups, increased adoption of the available mental healthcare resources, and an increase in the number of people seeking mental healthcare.

Goal #3: To Implement Project Recommendations

Research findings will inform aspects of quality improvement in mental healthcare. Understanding the impact of mental health stigma will necessitate the establishment of measures to address the identified barriers to mental healthcare. Additionally, understanding the barriers to mental healthcare will provide the framework for quality improvement. To accomplish this, the provisions of this program will have to be relayed to the stakeholders.

Objective #1: Communicating the Program Provisions to the Stakeholders

The identified stakeholders required for implementing the program include healthcare providers, healthcare agencies, governments, and healthcare organizations. Their role is to implement the provisions of the program. This objective will be met when all the stakeholders verbalize the impact of mental health stigma on ethnic minority groups and how to address mental health stigma in these communities.

Evaluation of the Project’s Financial Aspects

Quality improvement initiatives in healthcare often fetch considerable healthcare costs. The full implementation of the project is expected to cost around 2,500 dollars. The financial aspects of the program will be evaluated for return on investment (ROI) and cost-effectiveness. The program will be worth the investment if the stakeholders adopt its recommendations. This is expected to be projected in ethnic minority communities. Specific indices that will demonstrate the effectiveness of the program at the community level and subsequent ROI include cost savings from lowered morbidity associated with poor healthcare-seeking on mental health illnesses, increased revenue to healthcare organizations due to increases in the number of people seeking mental healthcare, and increased utilization of the available mental health resources.

The cost-effectiveness of the program can be evaluated from the stakeholder’s standpoint. The feasibility and applicability of this program’s recommendations will help determine its cost-effectiveness. In this respect, the program is expected to produce recommendations that are easy to implement and compatible with current practices. Accordingly, this is to make change management easy and increase the adoption of the change provisions. The program will be cost-effective if its adoption is high and the recommendations are agreeable among the stakeholders.

Data Analysis and Utilization

Scholarly projects are often centered around solving current clinical problems. This DNP project is set to provide a quality improvement framework in mental healthcare by highlighting the impacts of mental health stigmatization. Findings from this program will be analyzed through the cluster analytic technique. This technique is effective for analyzing qualitative data. It sorts a wide range of dissimilar data into homogeneous clusters that make comparison easier (Maione et al., 2019). In this respect, data from different articles will be collected and clustered to enable easier characterization. Information obtained from the clustered data will include individual barriers to quality mental healthcare and the impact of mental health stigma on the quality of mental healthcare.

Data collected and analyzed will be used to inform quality enhancement measures in mental healthcare. This will involve communicating the results to the stakeholders. The stakeholders will act as conduits through which this program’s recommendations are applied to solve the poor quality of mental healthcare in ethnic minority groups. By implementing the provisions of this program, ethnic minority groups are expected to be better informed on mental health illnesses, demonstrate a better understanding of their manifestation, and avoid stigmatizing people with these illnesses. This is expected to be reflected in improved health-seeking behavior and the adoption of community resources available for persons with mental health illnesses.

Conclusion

As the pursuit for quality mental healthcare heightens, research into aspects of mental healthcare is necessitated. However, their success in addressing problematic areas in the contemporary mental healthcare landscape is dependent on their effectiveness. Program evaluation gives insight into the effectiveness of such projects. As evident above, evaluation helps in ascertaining the conformity of the program outcomes with its goals and objectives. It also highlights the project’s cost-effectiveness.

 References

Alhaj, M. (2019). Towards model-based evaluation process of learning outcomes in academic institutions. Proceedings of the 2019 7th International Conference on Information and Education Technology. https://doi.org/10.1145/3323771.3323774

Eylem, O., de Wit, L., van Straten, A., Steubl, L., Melissourgaki, Z., Danışman, G. T., de Vries, R., Kerkhof, A. J., Bhui, K., & Cuijpers, P. (2020). Stigma for common mental disorders in racial minorities and majorities a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08964-3

Follwell, E. J., Chunduri, S., Samuelson-Kiraly, C., Watters, N., & Mitchell, J. I. (2021). The Quality Mental Health Care Network: A roadmap to improving Quality Mental Healthcare in Canada. Healthcare Management Forum, 34(2), 100–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0840470420974713

Javed, A., Lee, C., Zakaria, H., Buenaventura, R. D., Cetkovich-Bakmas, M., Duailibi, K., Ng, B., Ramy, H., Saha, G., Arifeen, S., Elorza, P. M., Ratnasingham, P., & Azeem, M. W. (2021). Reducing the stigma of mental health disorders with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 58, 102601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102601

Lee, H., Chung, H. Q., Zhang, Y., Abedi, J., & Warschauer, M. (2020). The effectiveness and features of formative assessment in US K-12 education: A systematic review. Applied Measurement in Education, 33(2), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2020.1732383

Maione, C., Nelson, D. R., & Barbosa, R. M. (2019). Research on social data employing cluster analysis. Applied Computing and Informatics, 15(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aci.2018.02.003

Saade, S., Lamarche, A. P., Khalaf, T., Makke, S., & Legg, A. (2023). What barriers could impede access to mental health services for children and adolescents in Africa? A scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09294-x

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Assignment Guidelines:

Construct a framework for the evaluation of your project. Identify and describe the type of model selected for evaluation: discrepancy, goal-free, transaction, goal-based, or decision-making model. Discuss why this model was chosen. You will then develop the tool(s) to be used to evaluate the objective/goals, the financial aspect of the project, and how the data collected will be analyzed. The final paper should not exceed eight pages without a title page, references, and appendix. It should be written in the APA Professional Paper Format, not the student paper format.

Complete and submit the Program Evaluation Paper (CO1, CO5) due in Week 5. Review the assignment rubric before submission: DNP 806 Program Evaluation Paper Rubric 1.doc download DNP 806 Program Evaluation Paper Rubric 1.docx

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DNP 806 Program Evaluation Paper Rubric 1.doc download DNP 806 Program Evaluation Paper Rubric 1.docx