Concept mapping and evaluation of the Clinical Scholars healthcare leadership program: understanding what makes health a shared value

Purpose As part of a formative evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) healthcare leadership program Clinical Scholars, we used concept mapping to understand the factors that influence making health a shared value from the perspectives of program participants and, more broadly, provide a real-world example of concept mapping as an evaluation tool for healthcare leadership programs. Design/methodology/approach Twenty-six participants in their final year of the three-year leadership program addressed the focal prompt: “What components are essential for making health a shared value?” Participant-identified factors were then rated for their level of importance across three areas of importance determined by the evaluation team (i.e. mindsets and expectations civic engagement; sense of community). Point and cluster maps were generated through hierarchical cluster analyses to identify and understand the relationships between the identified factors and their subsequent ratings of importance. Findings A four-cluster solution best fit the data, with the following identified clusters: (1) Shared Understanding and Awareness of Health; (2) Big Picture Strategies and Growth Mindset; (3) Collaboration and Community Engagement and (4) Health Equity and Inclusion. Go-zone plots within each cluster were developed to best understand the relationship between the three previously identified areas of importance. Originality/value Participants were exposed to a wide range of health equity and leadership-related concepts and tools supporting the central concept of “how to create a Culture of Health (COH).” The four above-stated concepts emerged from the participants as a way to organize and focus their collective understanding as they reached the end of their training experience. Results from the concept mapping were aligned with the overall goals of the program and RWJF-led COH initiative.