lessons learned 25 years of evaluation at the federal office of public health kerralie oeuvray

LESSONS LEARNED25 years of evaluation at the

Federal Office of Public Health

Kerralie Oeuvray

Taking stock 25 years on…

Objective

• Given the complexity of the programmes and the diversity of the approaches used, what lessons can be drawn from the evaluation reports conducted during the last 25 years?

Methodology

• 120 reports• 276 lessons drawn from evaluators’ findings,

conclusions and recommendations• Focus on the implementation process• Lessons classified and grouped into clusters• Generalisations formulated in terms of 5 key

dimensions

Methodology

Limits• Desk-based analysis restricted to written

reports – no validation with evaluators themselves

• No follow up about how particular lessons were used or further developed

Focus on implementation processes

• Types of challenges faced by a wide diversity of actors when implementing programmes and projects in complex federalist settings

• Encompasses key criteria such as efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability

• Covers large scope of issues irrespective of frequency

• Allows looking at lessons from time perspective

Accumulated knowledge: 5 dimensions

Coordinating & collaborating in

a federalist setting

Adopting an evaluation

culture

Relying on a personified

OFPH

Developing & clarifying theories

Promoting public health

values

Accumulated knowledge: 5 dimensions

1. Coordinating & collaborating in a federalist

setting

Adopting an evaluation

culture

3. Relying on a personified

OFPH

2. Developing & clarifying theories

Promoting public health

values

1. Coordinating & collaborating in a federalist setting

• Adoption of programmes/projects by partners

• Appropriate ways of collaborating & coordinating

• Assuring sustainability

Challenges

• Networking over & beyond usual boundaries

• Investing in intermediate structures to assure top-down & bottom-up processes

• Producing & disseminating quality info

Key skills

2. Developing & clarifying theories

• Coherence between theory & practice in a multidisciplinary setting

• Challenging established theories with practice based knowledge

Challenges

• Consolidating knowledge from experience

• Multiplying knowledge sources

• Developing consensus amongst key actorsKey skills

3. Relying on a personified FOPH

• Assuring on-going FOPH leadership & commitment

• Assuring accessibility between FOPH & its partners

Challenges

• Exploiting FOPH prestige to further policy development at local & regional levels

• Interacting meaningfully with FOPH personnel

Key skills

Lessons surfacing time and time again

• Links between socio-economic status and health issues

• Conditions for developing consensus amongst stakeholders

• Conditions for effective networking practices

Lessons learned from lessons drawn

• Accumulated know-how concerns:– knowledge– skills– contacts with stakeholders

• Expanding and sharing knowledge base between stakeholders, both internally (employees) and externally (key groups) is vital

Lessons learned from lessons drawn

• The FOPH relies on “others” for the implementation of public health programmes and projects

• Effective implementation practices depend on the cultural sensitivity and political acumen of all the key actors

Value added of research

• Creates a synthesis of key lessons drawn from 25 yrs of evaluations in one document

• Interprets lessons over time thus identifying lessons which resurface time and time again

• In line with an emerging trend to document, classify and maintain a register of ‘lessons learned’

• Contributes to the history of public health in Switzerland