OBJECTIVES:
to sound out the opinion of assessors of the Brazilian Child-Friendly Hospital Initiative (IHAC) as to the reliability of the information gathered by the evaluation system.
METHODS:
a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study was carried out base on primary data obtained by way of semi-structured questionnaires applied by email. Inclusion criterion: assessor who participated in at least one overall evaluation and/or re-evaluation between 2006 and 2011. Thirty-five completed questionnaires were received. The data were analyzed using Epi Info Windows 2.000 Version 3.5.1.
RESULTS:
77% of the assessor responded that the results of the evaluation of the IHAC partially corresponded to the reality on the ground in the hospitals evaluated. Lengthy, less than clear, repetitive questions in formal language, lack of knowledge of certain procedures on the part of professionals who do not carry them out, and the duration of earlycontact con during childbirth were the weaknesses identified.
CONCLUSIONS:
the results of the evaluation of the IHAC are partially reliable but do not reflect the real situation in the hospitals evaluated. There is a need to improve data collection tools so as to make them clearer and more concise, to provide better training and more careful selection of assessors.
Health evaluation; Program evaluation; Breastfeeding