Logic model use in developing a survey instrument for program evaluation: emergency preparedness summits for schools of nursing in Georgia.

The objective of this paper is to describe a method for using a logic model to guide program evaluation by detailing the steps used, providing diagrams that visually depict the process, and giving an example based on the evaluation of emergency preparedness nursing summits in Georgia. Developing a logic model is an ideal way to visually depict the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes of a program, thus providing a clear framework of the workings and functions of the program. In planning a comprehensive evaluation, being able to view all the elements in a program and how they interrelate makes it easier to determine the areas that should be addressed. When a survey is part of a program evaluation, determining that the goals, objectives, research questions, logic model, and survey questions maintain consistency in the way they relate and lead to each other can help document the completeness and symmetry of the assessment. By showing these linkages, the utility of the logic model is maximized and the stakeholders in the assessment of the program have clear evidence that their expectations and needs have been met for a valuable, useful evaluation product.