Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program: CPSP Evaluation - A Process Based on WHO and CDC Guidelines

Surveillance

Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program
CPSP Evaluation: A Process Based on WHO and CDC Guidelines

Paediatrics Child Health 2004;9(5):322

To be critically sound, the cornerstone of a surveillance program assessment must be based on fundamental principles and a reputable evaluation process. So, where to begin? The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) turned to the World Health Organization (WHO) publication “Making Surveillance Work” (1), which outlines the following important steps that are needed to guide such an assessment.

WHO evaluation process	CPSP evaluation
Identify a credible, experienced national and international advisory review group	Members of the CPSP expert advisory group: Dr. Robert McMurtry, (Chair) Former Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Former Dean of Medicine, University of Western Ontario Dr. Margaret Berry Neonatologist, The Montreal Children’s Hospital Dr. Jeff Davis Chief Medical Officer, Wisconsin, USA Dr. Philippe Duclos Project Leader, Immunization Safety, WHO Dr. Monika Naus Epidemiologist, BC Centre for Disease Control Chair, National Advisory Committee on Immunization
Determine clear, concise evaluation objectives	CPSP objectives: Provide opportunity for feedback through surveys Document strengths and weaknesses Assess scientific and public health worth Identify opportunities for improvement
Provide essential background program impacts of information materials	Develop logic models on initiation of a study, surveillance process and dissemination based on Ottawa-Carleton Health Department Program Evaluation Toolkit (2) Provide data analysis of feedback from survey results Meet to present and clarify background data
Evaluate performance based on system attributes criteria	Provide the opportunity for the expert group to: Assess the effectiveness of the surveillance tool in monitoring public health events based on the following Centre for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for system attributes (3): simplicity, flexibility, data quality, acceptability, sensitivity, predictive positive value, representativeness, timeliness and stability Independently review all data, interview key people, and prepare assessment summary and recommendations
Close the information loop	Provide feedback on evaluation results in: CPSP 2003 Annual Results Editorials and articles Poster and oral presentations
Act on recommendations	Continue to strive for excellence Transfer important medical and public health study results to relevant target audiences Persist in essential advocacy role

A full report of the CPSP evaluation process and recommendations will be available in June 2004.

References

Grabowsky M, Duclos P. Making surveillance work: Module 1. World Health Organization, 2001.
Porteous NL, Sheldrick BJ, Stewart PJ. Program evaluation toolkit: A blueprint for public health management. Ottawa-Carleton Health Department 1997.
Updated guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems, MMWR, Recomm Rep 2001;50:1-35.