A summative evaluation is most suefficient for this scenario. This type of evaluation will illuminate the purpose of the evaluation study. By focusing on the outcome, a summative evaluation can simultaneously enable an effective study of the healthcare professionals that utilize the bar code administration software, and assess participants within the study. According to Nelson and Staggers (2014), the key questions for a summative evaluation are identified as: “To what degree were the outcomes affected by the product?” or “wWhat is the cost effectiveness of the product?” (p. 74). Seeking to answer those questions could potentially satisfy the stakeholders in this scenario. With the selection of a summative evaluation as the course of direction, the key evaluation question for this study will be: Did the new program software decrease the amount of medical errors? It is the assumption or the intention of the evaluation outcome to satiate the concerns of the stakeholders with positive results.
Within the evaluation, the primary stakeholders of the evaluation are the doctors, nurses, and patients. It would suffice to say that the secondary stakeholders are the members of the IT department and the administration department. Whether positively or negatively, primary stakeholders are individuals that are primarily affected through the implementation of new programs. Whereas secondary stakeholders are individuals who are indirectly affected through program implementation. Through identification of the stakeholders, or participants of this evaluation, comprehension of their concerns is possible. In respect to stakeholder concerns, ithey may or may not be possible to fulfill them in their entirety, but it is necessary to acknowledge them. The concerns of the stakeholders present variables that can be measured throughout the study. Specific elements of concern presented by the IT department are: increased costs with unreliable equipment, and additional man hours needed to troubleshoot the mobile scanners. The addition of the software will impact the workflow of the nurses and the doctors, also inhibiting their functionality in the event the scanners malfunction. The implementation of the software is due to the administration’s concern about medication errors, yet the concern continues to plague them. Developing a proper program evaluation, will allow for informed decisions to address the needs of the stakeholders.