Developing a Program Evaluation Training Within a National Federal Healthcare Setting: Veterans Affairs Evaluation...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Program Evaluation
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Learning Health Systems (LHSs) require effective program evaluation and data translation for continuous improvement.
• The Veterans Affairs (VA) health system mandates data-driven decision-making but has limited staff training in applied program evaluation.
• A gap exists in developing practical evaluation skills to support LHS learning cycles within complex healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design, structure, and core concepts of a synchronous virtual Evaluation Bootcamp Training (EBcT).
• To address the need for applied program evaluation skills within the VA health system.
• To support evaluation capacity building in a large, complex healthcare setting.

Main Methods:

• The Evaluation Bootcamp Training (EBcT) was delivered virtually over 4 days to two cohorts.
• Participants formed project teams to address clinical and operational initiatives within the VA.
• Learners included diverse roles such as evaluators, subject matter experts, project managers, and analysts.

Main Results:

• High learner satisfaction was reported, with full attendance at application sessions and strong participation.
• A majority of learners met predefined evaluation learning targets by the end of the training.
• Project teams engaged in evaluating various clinical and operational initiatives within the VA.

Conclusions:

• Structured, team-based training models like EBcT can effectively build evaluation capacity.
• EBcT equips healthcare teams to engage in repeated cycles of measurement, learning, and performance improvement.
• This training model supports the functioning of Learning Health Systems by enhancing data utilization and program evaluation.