Question

How do ethics interact with the evaluation steps? describe how different ethical choices during them could affect the evaluation process and/or outcome of the two steps below

1. Engage stakeholders, including those involved in program operations; those served or affected by the program; and primary users of the evaluation.

2. Describe the program, including the need, expected effects, activities, resources, stage, context and logic model.

Answer 1

The evaluation process includes four steps; planning stage, implementation process, completion, and dissemination reporting. These steps complement the stages of development and implementation of a program. Each stage has its own unique problems, methods, and procedures; and ethics interact in every step. In an ethics-based evaluation, personal or sectional interests are not reflected. Ethics-based evaluators are those with professional integrity, who respect the rights of organizations and individuals so that they can provide full information confidentially. They are sensitive to the customs and beliefs of the cultural and social environments of communities.

Different ethical choices during these four evaluation stages could affect the whole process and/or outcomes. Ethics influences evaluation steps like engaging stakeholders, including those involved in program operations, those served or affected by the program, and primary users of the evaluation in several ways. In healthcare, ethics influences health practices, its stakeholders including providers in program operations, and the patients who are served or affected by the program and their illness perception. The stakeholders’ knowledge, awareness, attitude, and skills are affected by the positive influence of ethics, giving them all the necessary requirements for culturally competent care as they get adapted to diversity.

The community health improvement program, firm-footed on ethical principles, helps in the identification of the culturally-diverse needy and understanding their need. This wellness program aimed to create and sustain a healthy community without any cultural bias in the treatment extended to the community members is intended to reach its goal through prevention as well as cure. Here ethical principles aids in designing and implementing services that are tailored to the unique requirements of individuals and families so that all are able to cooperate and reach the goal. Activities include community health education, exercise programs, healthy diet/weight goals, vaccination, and cure of people with lifestyle diseases using the charity as well as government resources to support the financially backward members. It has almost reached its goal utilizing the resources and community support guided by ethical principles.