This article poses questions imperative for the use of principles and standards of evaluation allowing for pointing out directives for meta-evaluation on the example of the Baseline Studies (BLS) of PROESF. These questions are important in countries like Brazil, where a National Evaluation Policy is still in its beginning, and where one observes absence of legal devices, directives or parameters clearly seeking to ensure the quality, credibility and recognition of the practice of evaluation. We present a brief review of the literature about principles and norms constituting the bases for the general directives formulated for a formative metaevaluation of the baseline studies, oriented by the four international standards for evaluation of social policies utility, feasibility, propriety and accuracy. The same standards were used for guiding the design of studies for evaluating health promotion and protection programs, together with specificity standards defined by a mixed consensus technique based on the prescriptions of the Terms of Reference of the BLS. The main interest rests in encouraging a broad use of these evaluation tools in the field of health, as a crucial point for its improvement and the development of the Unified Health System.
Metaevaluation; Health programs; Institutionalization of evaluation
