A model for clinical evaluation

After grappling for years with the problems associated with clinical evaluation in nursing, and becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this aspect of the clinical teaching process, the researcher resolved to make an in-depth study of the state of clinical evaluation in nursing. The study was undertaken in the second semester of 1990. The most important findings of this research were discussed in a previous article (Mulder, M. and Viljoen, JJ. 1992. Die stand van kliniese evaluering aan Suider-Afrikaanse Universiteite. CURATIONIS, Vol. 15, No. 1, 29-41). The second aim of the study, i.e. the development of a proto-theoretical model for clinical evaluation, is discussed in this article. Since there was no existing model for Southern Africa which reflected the researcher's philosophy and view of clinical evaluation, she constructed one as an implicit part of the main recommendations of the research. This model is presented as the ideal for clinical evaluation. The model can be used by evaluators and researchers to assess, plan, implement, remedy and to solve problems of clinical evaluation. It can also be used to direct future research.