Difference between revisions of "Evaluating performance of environmental health assessments"
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Revision as of 11:01, 19 August 2008
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This is a manuscript about evaluating performance of environmental health assessments. It discusses different perspectives to evaluating the goodness of assessments and proposes a new more comprehensive approach to considering performance of environmental health assessments.
Contents
Title
The properties of good assessments - a multi-perspective approach to evaluating performance of environmental health assessments
Abstract
Environmental health assessments provide information about the environmental factors that affect human health and well-being. This information may be used by various kinds of actors in multiple societal contexts in order to decide upon possible actions of dealing with these factors and effects.
Situation
- environmental health assessment is intentional societal activity involving plural actors with diverse perspectives and needs
- intentionality and actors
- provide information on practical decision-making (political, industry, individuals)
- increase awareness and level of understanding on important issues (experts, DMs, SHs, public)
- advance scientific research (experts)
- activity: understanding and describing real-world phenomena in order to enable rational actions accordingly
- intentionality and actors
- effectiveness of assessments must be ensured → performance of assessments needs to be considered and evaluated
- also efficiency should be considered
- various overlapping perspectives to the issue: uncertainty assessment, quality assurance, model development guidelines, ...
Problem
- all perspectives provide only limited or narrow views to performance
- use purpose of information often not considered
- all aspects of performance not covered
- evaluation as a separate process, often only after assessment
- societal aspect often neglected
- focus either on giving assessment procedure guidelines or considering product as such
Solution
- multi-perspective approach to performance
- effectiveness
- quality of content
- applicability
- efficiency
- effectiveness
- an integral part of assessment process → applicable also in design and execution (a priori), not only evaluation (a posteriori)
Evaluation
- focus on the mediator of the overall intellectual process - the shared object of activity
- product|use purpose, assessment process|product
- trialogical process, knowledge creation metaphor
- not only collection and use of existing information or learning to deal with new situation, but also creation of new knowledge
- capable of incorporating the goods from other perspectives into a more comprehensive and coherent approach
- evaluation of performance can only be done meaningfully against purpose
- various intentions need to be identified, explicated and prioritized in all assessments
Introduction
- environmental health assessment is intentional societal activity involving plural actors with diverse perspectives and needs
- intentionality and actors
- provide information on practical decision-making (political, industry, individuals)
- increase awareness and level of understanding on important issues (experts, DMs, SHs, public)
- advance scientific research (experts)
- activity: understanding and describing real-world phenomena in order to enable rational actions accordingly
- intentionality and actors
- effectiveness of assessments must be ensured → performance of assessments needs to be considered and evaluated
- also efficiency should be considered
- various overlapping perspectives to the issue: uncertainty assessment, quality assurance, model development guidelines, ...
Perspectives to performance
- various overlapping perspectives to the issue: uncertainty assessment, quality assurance, model development guidelines, ...
- all perspectives provide only limited or narrow views to performance
- use purpose of information often not considered
- all aspects of performance not covered
- evaluation as a separate process, often only after assessment
- societal aspect often neglected
- focus either on giving assessment procedure guidelines or considering product as such
Properties of good assessments
- multi-perspective approach to performance
- effectiveness
- quality of content
- applicability
- efficiency
- effectiveness
- an integral part of assessment process → applicable also in design and execution (a priori), not only evaluation (a posteriori)
- Relation of properties to information structure/content
- Evaluation process
- a priori and/or a posteriori view
- identification of purpose
- evaluation of quality of content (uncertainty + relevance)
- in principle reality, but in practice golden standard as reference point D↷
- evaluation of applicability
- evaluation of efficiency (effort expenditure)
- overall performance
- potential for effectiveness/effort given purpose
- can be further evaluated retrospectively against realized effectiveness (possibly against redefined purpose)
- potential for effectiveness/effort given purpose
Discussion
- focus on the mediator of the overall intellectual process - the shared object of activity
- product|use purpose, assessment process|product
- trialogical process, knowledge creation metaphor
- not only collection and use of existing information or learning to deal with new situation, but also creation of new knowledge
- capable of incorporating the goods from other perspectives into a more comprehensive and coherent approach
- evaluation of performance can only be done meaningfully against purpose
- various intentions need to be identified, explicated and prioritized in all assessments
- data about hypothesis
Conclusions
- There is more to assessment performance than just statistical uncertainty and data source reliability
- Overall performance of assessment can be evaluated systematically and explicitly
- requires consistent information structure
- a priori evaluation should be made an inherent part of assessment process