Program evaluation in the field of medical education: Need and approaches

Program evaluation is a must for medical education programs and requires the involvement of all the concerned stakeholders. It is important to note that the general aim behind any educational program is to look for a change, and thus, program evaluation should look to identify whether the change has occurred or not. In fact, a systematically performed program evaluation provides the organizers with the desired evidence about the quality of the program, accountability, and its sustainability. In conclusion, the program evaluation in the field of medical education is a vital cog in the entire cycle of development and implementation. Thus, it is extremely important to give due attention to the evaluation component and develop the framework for the same right at the time of the planning phase of the program.