Evaluating a Chronic Disease Management Improvement Collaboration: Lessons in Design and Implementation Fundamentals

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Improvement
• Change Management
• Performance Measurement

Background:

• The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) leveraged the Atlantic Healthcare Collaboration (AHC) to build on its change management training expertise.
• CFHI aimed to apply and refine its evaluation and performance measurement approach within a regional context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the evaluation principles and approach used by CFHI for the AHC.
• To share lessons learned from coordinating evaluative activities with improvement project (IP) teams and stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• CFHI coordinated and collaborated with IP teams and a network of stakeholders.
• A suite of evaluative activities was designed and undertaken.
• The evaluation focused on chronic disease prevention and management (CDPM) improvement processes, capacity building, and CFHI's facilitation role.

Main Results:

• The evaluation generated evidence on various elements of CDPM improvement processes.
• Learnings were obtained regarding individual and team capacity building.
• The value of CFHI in facilitating tailored learning and networking was assessed.

Conclusions:

• CFHI's evaluation approach was refined through the AHC initiative.
• The study highlights key learnings for regional healthcare improvement collaborations.
• Evidence was generated on effective strategies for CDPM and capacity building.