The objectives of the Community Analysis and Program paper are to develop skills to:
* assess the social and healthcare needs of a selected community;
* gather historic, demographic, and bio-statistical data on a community:
* complete interviews with key informants to engage the community and to broaden knowledge about the community;
* diagnose the strengths and vulnerabilities of the community; and
* create a feasible, collaborative community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in your analysis of this community.
Interview at least two persons from the community (for example, community residents, leaders, and health care professionals) regarding their perceptions of prevailing health needs, concerns, issues, and assets of the selected community. The following list suggests persons you should include in your interview process:
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* Collect Demographic, health, and vital statistics data
Writing the Community Analysis and Project Paper
* SECTION I: Definition of Community-Identification and History
* Give a brief description of the area assessed in terms of geographic location and history.
* Describe significant trends and events related to current function and status of the community, e.g., was this a manufacturing community that has experienced plant closings and job losses?
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* SECTION II: Assessment
* Demographics
* Describe the following demographic and socio-economic characteristics of your geographic community:
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* Representation
* Describe the local government structure
* Who are the state representatives and what is their party affiliation?
* Who represents the members of this community in the United States Congress?
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* Vital and Health statistics
* Summarize the most current available data with comparison to state and/or national rates for perspective, including the following information (tables may be utilized for succinct presentation and easy comparison):
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* Vulnerable Population/Practice Experience Environment
* Describe the location of your Practice Experience, the mission/vision of the agency/organization, and the population served.
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* SECTION III: Diagnosis and Plan
* Community and Practice Experience Population Diagnosis and Plan
* Critically evaluate all data collected and use the results to develop a community diagnosis (see Rector pp.535 & 536).
* Summarize the identified wellness deficits or gaps in care or services of your Practice Experience population that provided the foundation for your health education plan.
* Create a feasible, collaborative, community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in the analysis of this community. Include a measurable plan objective (e.g., in three years there will be a __% reduction in the number of _________in the community).
* services.
* SECTION IV – Implementation and Evaluation
* Describe the methods used and summarize the outcomes of your health education project evaluation (include education plan in Appendix).
* Actual evaluation results can be formative and/or summative.
* Summarize the barriers and facilitators you encountered when you implemented your health education plan
* Summarize the barriers and facilitators for implementing your community-wide intervention plan (based on your analysis of this community, interviews, and/or your practice experience in this community).
* Who has been or could/would be instrumental and able to implement your plan for this community, or who would benefit from the information you obtained in your community analysis (e.g., government officials, government representatives, community members, business leaders)?
* What differences, if any, did you observe between the needs of the geographic community (as identified in your diagnosis) and those of the Practice Experience population you worked with?
* Conclusion: In one paragraph, summarize your geographic community and Practice Experience population assessment, proposed intervention(s), and projections for the ability of this community to reduce the identified gap(s) in care or services.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction: The Community Analysis and Program paper is designed to help medical students develop skills in assessing the social and healthcare needs of a community and creating feasible and collaborative interventions to address any gaps in care or services. This involves various steps such as gathering data, conducting interviews, diagnosing strengths and vulnerabilities, and evaluating outcomes of the intervention. Let’s look at some questions related to this topic.
1. What are the objectives of the Community Analysis and Program paper?
The objectives of the Community Analysis and Program paper are to: assess the social and healthcare needs of a selected community, gather historic, demographic, and bio-statistical data on a community, complete interviews with key informants, diagnose the strengths and vulnerabilities of the community, and create a feasible, collaborative community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in the analysis of this community.
2. Who should be interviewed in the community analysis process?
At least two persons from the community should be interviewed, such as community residents, leaders, and health care professionals. Other persons can also be included based on their relevance to the community being assessed.
3. What should be included in the section on demographics in the Community Analysis and Program paper?
The following demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the geographic community should be included: age, gender, race/ethnicity, income levels, education levels, employment status, housing, transportation, and any other relevant factors that may impact the health of the community.
4. How can data on vulnerable populations be collected in the Community Analysis and Program paper?
Data on vulnerable populations can be collected by assessing factors such as poverty, homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, language barriers, disabilities, and other social determinants of health that may impact their ability to receive adequate care or services.
5. What is the purpose of the diagnosis and plan section in the Community Analysis and Program paper?
The purpose of the diagnosis and plan section is to critically evaluate all data collected and use the results to develop a community diagnosis, summarize the identified wellness deficits or gaps in care or services, and create a feasible, collaborative, community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in the analysis of this community. It also includes a measurable plan objective for the intervention.
