Program planning and evaluation: principles and procedures for nurse managers

This article provides an overview of essential principles and procedures of program planning and evaluation. The relevance of these concepts to the task of health and nursing care is discussed in terms of three primary evaluation domains: (1) estimating need and designing evaluable programs; (2) determining the extent of program implementation; and (3) assessing program-related outcomes. The article has relevance for nurse managers concerned with programmatic decision making and accountability.