How to evaluate redesigned clinical processes : lessons learnt

Evaluation is integral to clinical redesign programs, yet there is limited literature to guide how such an evaluation might be designed or conducted. To address this void, this paper presents the lessons learnt through the development of an evaluation framework for a clinical redesign program within an Australian public hospital. The evaluation framework ensured that resource use, process management, patient satisfaction, and staff wellbeing were each connected with measures, targets and the aim of the initiative. Lessons learnt include: (1) the importance of mixed-methods research to devise the framework and to evaluate the redesigned processes; (2) the need for appropriate tools and resources to adequately capture change across the different domains of the redesign program; and (3) the value of developing and applying an evaluative framework progressively, rather than retrospectively.