User Task Scenarios for Map-Based Decision Support in Community Health Planning

Health outcomes are affected by the socio-demographic and physical-environmental characteristics of the places where people live. Therefore, epidemiologists have been interested in the use of maps to explore spatial patterns of disease for a long time. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are not only useful when visualizing complex spatial datasets but also when mapping the results of analytical processes. One such process is multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), which can be used to generate composite measures of public health based on individual, medical and non-medical factors. The objective of this study was to determine if geovisual MCE can be an effective tool in community health planning. We provided highly interactive thematic maps coupled with MCE tools to planners at a community health centre and evaluated their use for community health planning and decision-making. User task scenarios were designed in a way to compare the usefulness of different representation methods for a number of tasks. The pilot user test with two expert participants included interviews, questionnaires, and user task scenarios with think-aloud audio and screen video recording. We assessed the easiness of completing the tasks using completion rates and times and could identify a number of specific usability issues with the tool at hand.

User Task Scenarios for Map-Based Decision Support in Community Health Planning

Health outcomes are affected by the socio-demographic and physical-environmental characteristics of the places where people live. Therefore, epidemiologists have been interested in the use of maps to explore spatial patterns of disease for a long time. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are not only useful when visualizing complex spatial datasets but also when mapping the results of analytical processes. One such process is multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), which can be used to generate composite measures of public health based on individual, medical and non-medical factors. The objective of this study was to determine if geovisual MCE can be an effective tool in community health planning. We provided highly interactive thematic maps coupled with MCE tools to planners at a community health centre and evaluated their use for community health planning and decision-making. User task scenarios were designed in a way to compare the usefulness of different representation methods for a number of tasks. The pilot user test with two expert participants included interviews, questionnaires, and user task scenarios with think-aloud audio and screen video recording. We assessed the easiness of completing the tasks using completion rates and times and could identify a number of specific usability issues with the tool at hand.

Ghana National Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) policy; gaps between policy and implementation, the need for policy review to address specific gaps

The study examines gaps in primary health policy designed to enable Ghana to achieve universal access to health. The policy has existed for over 15 years with remarkable achievements, but data shows gaps between the procedure and what is going on. The researchers use a qualitative technique to explore the gap by focusing on persons directly involved in policy implementation as participants. Three main japs were identified, insufficient collaboration between community health officers and community leaders, favoritism in promoting CHOs, and inadequate provision of medical consumables and tools to CHPS-compounds as stated by the policy. The study concluded with the call for a review of the procedures and examining of the outlined gaps

Új utakon a hazai egészségtervezés [Hungarian Community Health Planning on New Ways]

Adott közösség egészségét megfelelően tervezett és előkészített komplex népegészségügyi programokkal lehet hatékonyan fejleszteni. A járási egészségtervezés hat lépésből álló, ciklikus folyamat. A tervezés kezdő ciklusában szükséges kialakítani az egészségügyi és nem egészségügyi szervezetek képviselőiből álló járási Egészségtervezési Egyeztető Testületet (továbbiakban: Egyeztető Testület). Az első lépés a helyzetértékelés, mely során a tervezés feltételeinek és körülményeinek értékelése, valamint a primer és szekunder adatgyűjtés valósul meg. A második lépés a közösség problémáinak azonosítása, a probléma-beavatkozás párok értékelése és rangsorolása, valamint a helyzetkép elkészítése, amit az Egyeztető Testület véleményez. A harmadik lépés a lehetőségek mérlegelése és a beavatkozások kiválasztása. E lépést, valamint az Egyeztető Testület véleményezését követően kell elkészíteni a cselekvési tervet, a negyedik lépésben. Az ötödik lépés a cselekvési tervben megfogalmazott beavatkozások megvalósítása. A hatodik lépés a monitorozás, melynek eredményeit az első ciklus cselekvési tervének – az előre nem látható események miatti – esetleges módosításához, valamint a következő ciklus helyzetértékeléséhez szükséges felhasználni. A közösség tagjainak és képviselőinek bevonása a tervezés minden lépésénél kulcsfontosságú.

Cornerstone Documents, Milestones, and Policies: Shaping the Direction of Public Health Nursing 1950-2015

Ruth Hubbard, a public health nursing (PHN) leader in 1950, offered a timeless comment, “To each age comes its own peculiar problems and challenges, but to it also comes the necessary vision and strength” (p. 608). Similar to the 1950s, from 1950 to 2015 unique healthcare and workforce issues continued to arise calling for public health nurses to respond with vision and strength. In Part Two of a three-part series on PHN history, we examine seminal documents, events, and policies that influenced practice. We begin by considering the time period 1950 to 1975, and then discuss healthcare transitions; social activism and community health planning; and concerns from the years 1975 to 2000 and 2000 to 2015. These milestones reflected challenges of emerging chronic diseases, re-emerging infectious diseases, immigration and terrorism, as well as post-war prosperity and improvements in health care. As in the early 20th century, response to challenges included periods of expansion and recession. We conclude by considering the past as prologue, discussing prospects for present and future PHN.