The opioid use disorder (OUD) is national public health issue that needs effective mitigation and efforts to tackle it from various sectors and stakeholders. The opioid epidemic has led to increased cost of health services and burden on the system, leads to mortality and morbidity, and exerts strain on limited healthcare resources (HRSA, 2021). Evaluation of such interventions and their effects is critical as it offers an opportunity to assess their effectiveness to the target population, particularly those affected by the opioid crisis. Evaluation approaches like outcome evaluation assess the effectiveness of health promotion programs in producing positive change to reduce the severity of the opioid crisis (Haley & Saitz, 2020). The purpose of this paper is to propose an evaluation plan based on the health outcome of the “Prevention for States” program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in helping states to have sufficient resources and support to tackle the opioid crisis or epidemic.
The overriding purpose of evidence-based practice (EBP) programs and initiatives is to create change in target populations by addressing the causative factors of a problem and raising awareness through health promotion. Evaluation is a critical and final step of an EBP initiative as it allows implementers and other stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of an intervention or initiative (Friis & Sellers, 2021). Outcome evaluation assesses the effectiveness of an initiative in producing the desired change. Outcome evaluations focus on change witnessed in program participants and the difference it has made to such populations. The focus of outcome evaluation comprises of changes in comprehension, attitudes, behaviors, and practices that lead to modifications among the targeted individuals and populations. Outcome evaluations are mainly summative in nature. Summative evaluation entails collecting information once a program has been fully implemented to assess its impact and outcomes for stakeholders to make effective decisions on whether to adopt the initiative, continue it, or modify for improvement. Summative evaluation is a systematic approach that allows implementers to collect and analyze data about the effects of an intervention, output, and outcomes during and after its implementation (Daoust et al., 2022). Summative evaluation would, therefore, assist in measuring and determining success, the efficacy and cost implications of evidence-based practice initiatives in health care settings and organizations.
In this case, the intervention program to tackle the opioid epidemic is CDC’s “Prevention for States” that allows states to get resources and support to fight the crisis. At the core of this intervention is the need for states to develop a host of programs and initiatives aimed at tackling the opioid crisis as a public health issue in the country (CDC, 2021). Studies demonstrate that state policy interventions to address the opioid crisis are essential as they have led to a decline in cases and prescription and opioid misuse. Therefore, the evaluation plan will focus on the current data about the various state interventions in different states that are getting CDC funding and support to tackle the issue (HRSA, 2021). The outcome evaluation plan will entail having sufficient data and information from state agencies and federal departments to assess the overall effectiveness of the “Prevention for States” program by CDC. State policy interventions’ evaluation will focus on both outcome and summative approaches where the assessment will seek to understand the efficacy of each program in different states. The evaluation will focus on assessment of behavioral change among users and abusers, initiation of legal frameworks to control prescription of different schedules of drugs, and ethical conduct among providers in different professional levels.
The evaluation will also consider a host of approaches, especially a multidisciplinary approach, comprising of many interventions through one program to reduce the prevalence of opioid crisis in states, especially those worst affected and under the CDC program. The initiative provides states with federal resources and support to use in developing appropriate interventions to tackle the opioid problem (Finley et al., 2017). Access to resources, technical assistance, and training are critical since they enable providers to incorporate behavioral health care services into their practice settings to improve interventions focused on dealing with the impacts of prescription drug overdose and misuse among various affected individuals and populations (Daoust et al., 2022; Fischer et al., 2019). The “Prevention for States” programs show through its funding element the role of inter-agency and inter-government col
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