Public Health Nurses’ Recognition and Practice in Program Evaluation: Comparison of Participation in Training and Career Groups

Abstract

Objective: This survey aimed to clarify public health nurses’ (PHNs’) recognition and practice in program evaluation by comparing participation in training and career groups.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 432 PHNs in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. The questionnaire included items that evaluated the recognized value of and practice resulting from programs. Recognition and practice differences between career and training groups were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: Valid responses obtained from 200 participants were analyzed. Overall, 61.5% of PHNs participated in training in community diagnosis, 44.5% in policymaking, and 53.0% in program evaluation. Participants’ recognition of evaluating programs was generally high. Among novice PHNs, multiple items were reported to be significantly more frequent in practice by those who underwent training than by those who did not participate in training in community diagnosis. Among middle-level PHNs, multiple items were reported to be significantly more frequent in practice by those who underwent training than by those who had not participated in training in community diagnosis and policymaking. Among management-level PHNs, multiple items were reported to be significantly more frequent in practice by those who underwent training than by those who had not participated in training in policymaking and program evaluation.

Discussion: Significantly frequent participation in training in community diagnosis was reported in all career groups; the training was useful in increasing the frequency of practice in program evaluation. In terms of training for each career group, suggestions include focusing on policymaking at the middle level and program evaluation at the management level to increase the frequency of practice in program evaluation.