Conceptual evaluation of population health surveillance programs: method and example

Area of Science:

• Veterinary epidemiology
• Public health surveillance
• Disease control programs

Background:

• Existing methods for evaluating veterinary and public health surveillance programs often focus on limited attributes and can be subjective, limiting their usefulness.
• Increasing demands for disease freedom and international regulations necessitate stronger, more robust surveillance programs.
• Current evaluation methods may not adequately assess programs with limited resources or technical capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a detailed, structured, and transparent conceptual method for evaluating veterinary and public health surveillance programs.
• To improve the design and documentation of surveillance programs by providing a framework based on core surveillance concepts.
• To complement existing performance-oriented evaluation methods and offer a more comprehensive assessment of surveillance programs.

Main Methods:

• A four-step conceptual evaluation method was developed: text analysis, extraction of the surveillance conceptual model, comparison to a theoretical standard, and validation interviews.
• The method was applied to C-EnterNet, a Canadian zoonotic disease surveillance program, using the 'Population Health Surveillance Theory' as the theoretical standard.
• Evaluation focused on the presence and relationships of core surveillance concepts within the program's design.

Main Results:

• The conceptual evaluation identified five absent surveillance concepts in the C-EnterNet program design out of 152 evaluated concepts.
• All identified surveillance concept relationships within C-EnterNet were found to be valid.
• The method demonstrated its ability to improve program design and documentation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed conceptual evaluation method is a valuable tool for enhancing surveillance program design and documentation.
• This method complements existing performance-based evaluations, offering a more holistic assessment, especially for resource-limited programs.
• A comprehensive, integrated surveillance evaluation framework is recommended to combine various evaluation tools for optimal program assessment.