Identifying a Health Care-Related Problem and a Target Population
Take a few minutes to think about the most pressing health-promotion and disease-prevention issues, such as those identified in “Healthy People 2020” and the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing. Which one most calls your attention? Maternal, infant, and child health? Health communication and health information technology? Immunization and infectious diseases?
This course provide a venue for addressing issues such as one of these through the design of a program and associated evaluation. In order to design an effective program though, it is critical to narrow the focus from one of these larger issues to a specific problem and a target population.
This Discussion provides a forum through which you and your colleagues may support each other in first selecting a health-promotion and disease-prevention issue of national significance, and then identifying a problem and a target population to guide your program planning and evaluation efforts in this course.
To prepare:
- Examine the topics presented in “Healthy People 2020” and the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing. Select a health-promotion and disease-prevention issue of national significance that has particular resonance or appeal for you.
- Review literature related to the issue you have selected and, specifically, the problem and target population you may choose to focus on as you move forward with program planning.
- Review this week’s course text readings. What questions or concerns, if any, do you have about how to identify a problem and a target population for program planning and evaluation?
Note: For Application 1, you need to identify a health care–related problem and a target population to guide program planning as you move forward in the course. If you have not already done so, read the instructions for Application 1 (provided this week) as your work on this Discussion to guide your development of that assignment.
By tomorrow Tuesday 12/04/18 by 6pm, post a minimum of 550 words in APA format with at least 3 references from the list of the “Required Readings” below. Include the level one header as numbered below:
Post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:
1) Share the national health-promotion and disease-prevention issue you have selected. Describe the problem and target population you will most likely choose for Application 1, as you have considered it thus far (See the list of topic areas below and select one).
2) Provide your evaluation of the impact of the problem on population health using citations from existing literature.
3) Pose any questions or concerns you have related to your problem and target population, your literature review, and/or other issues related to designing and evaluating programs. Ask your colleagues for support in addressing these questions or concerns.
Topic Areas (Select one to answer question 1 above [make sure to select the one that would be easy to research and develop as all the many upcoming assignment will be based on it. Choose carefully please]).
The Topic Areas of Healthy People 2020 identify and group objectives of related content, highlighting specific issues and
populations. Each Topic Area is assigned to one or more lead agencies within the federal government that is responsible
for developing, tracking, monitoring, and periodically reporting on objectives.
1. Access to Health Services
2. Adolescent Health
3. Arthritis, Osteoporosis, and Chronic Back
Conditions
4. Blood Disorders and Blood Safety
5. Cancer
6. Chronic Kidney Disease
7. Dementias, Including Alzheimer’s Disease
8. Diabetes
9. Disability and Health
10. Early and Middle Childhood
11. Educational and Community-Based Programs
12. Environmental Health
13. Family Planning
14. Food Safety
15. Genomics
16. Global Health
17. Healthcare-Associated Infections
18. Health Communication and Health Information
Technology
19. Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being
20. Hearing and Other Sensory or Communication
Disorders
21. Heart Disease and Stroke
22. HIV
23. Immunization and Infectious Diseases
24. Injury and Violence Prevention
25. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
26. Maternal, Infant, and Child Health
27. Medical Product Safety
28. Mental Health and Mental Disorders
29. Nutrition and Weight Status
30. Occupational Safety and Health
31. Older Adults
32. Oral Health
33. Physical Activity
34. Preparedness
35. Public Health Infrastructure
36. Respiratory Diseases
37. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
38. Sleep Health
39. Social Determinants of Health
40. Substance Abuse
41. Tobacco Use
42. Vision
Required Readings
Hodges, B. C., & Videto, D. M. (2011). Assessment and planning in health programs (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 2, “Paint a Picture of Your Target Population: Assessing Assets and Problems” (See attached file).
This chapter presents valuable information for identifying your target population during program planning. Note: Some of the information in this chapter extends into needs assessment, which will be addressed in Week 4.
Kettner, P. M., Moroney, R. M., & Martin, L. L. (2017). Designing and managing programs: An effectiveness-based approach (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Review Chapter 1, “Contemporary Issues in Social Services Program Planning and Administration” (See attached file).
- Review Chapter 3, “Understanding Social Problems” (See attached file).
Review these chapters as needed to help you identify a health care-related problem for program planning and evaluation. For instance, you may find the problem analysis information on page 13 and pages 38–39 beneficial.
Adams, J. & Kaplow, R. (2013). A sitter reduction program in an acute health care system. Nursing Economics$, 31(2), 83–89.
Pinto, B.M., Waldemore, M., & Rosen, R. (2015). A community-based partnership to promote exercise among cancer survivors: Lessons learned. International Journal Behavioral Medicine, 22, 328–335 doi 10.1007/s12529-014-9395-5
Tompa, E., deBoer, H., Macdonald, S., Alarngir, H., Koehoorn, M., & Guzman, J. (2016). Stakeholders’ perspectives about and priorities for economic evaluation of health and safety programs in healthcare. Workplace Health and Safety, 64(4), 163–174 DOI: 10.1177/2165079915620201.
Leading Health Indicators. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/Leading-Health-Indicators
National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.pressganey.com/solutions/clinical-quality/nursing-quality
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/sites/default/files/HP2020_brochure_with_LHI_508_FNL.pdf
IOM Future of Nursing Report. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/workforce/IOM-Future-of-Nursing-Report-1
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Design and evaluation of programs and projects [Video file}. Baltimore, MD: Author.
- “Defining a Population Health Problem” (featuring Dr. Melissa Willmarth, Dr. Debora Dole, and Dr. Donna Shambley-Ebron)
You may view this course video by clicking the link or on the course DVD, which contains the same content. Once you’ve opened the link, click on the appropriate media piece.
In these videos, Dr. Melissa Willmarth, Dr. Debora Dole, and Dr. Donna Shambley-Ebron provide insights related to defining health care-related problems.
Optional Resources
Algera, M., Francke, A. L., Kerkstra, A., & Van der Zee, J. (2004). Integrative literature reviews and meta-analyses: Home care needs of patients with long-term conditions: Literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 46(4), 417–429.
This article compares literature in the field to determine a profile for people with long-term health care conditions who utilize home care services.
Madden, S. G., Loeb, S. J., & Smith, C. A. (2008). An integrative literature review of lifestyle interventions for the prevention of type II diabetes mellitus. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(17), 2243–2256.
This article is an example of an integrative literature review that identifies aspects of nursing programs aimed at prevention of type II diabetes, effectiveness of such programs, and compliance with lifestyle changes after such programs.
