Evaluation of the Executive Training for Research Application (EXTRA) Program: Design and Early Findings

The authors of this paper describe the EXTRA Program, its intended outcomes, the approach they used to evaluate the program and some initial findings regarding the program's effects on the EXTRA fellows after the initial two-year period. The program's mission is to develop capacity and leadership to optimize the use of research-based evidence in Canadian healthcare organizations. Using Kirkpatrick's four-level model for evaluating training effectiveness, the authors conclude that after two years the program appears to be having the desired effects on the fellows. There is now a need to develop a richer understanding of the effects within the host organizations and to consider ways of transferring the new knowledge to other healthcare organizations outside the EXTRA Program umbrella.