Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Evaluation Primer on Health Risk Communication Programs
Barriers to Risk Communication Evaluation
Every program manager faces constraints to undertaking optimal evaluation tasks, just as there are constraints to designing other aspects of a risk communication program.
These constraints may include the following:
- limited funds
- limited staff time and capabilities
- length of time allotted to the program
- limited access to computer facilities
- agency restrictions to hiring consultants or contractors
- policies limiting the ability to gather information from the public
- management perceptions regarding the value of evaluation
- levels of management support for well designed evaluation activities
- difficulties in defining (or establishing) agency consensus regarding the objectives of the program
- difficulties in designing appropriate measures for risk communication programs
- difficulties in separating the effects of program influences from other influences on the target audience in "real world" situations.
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