Community diagnosis is a WHO tool used to plan health programmes that direct care to those in greatest need and address issues important to the local community. It does this by:
· Describing the health of local people (looking at demographics, environment, health status and available services)
· Identifying the major risk factors and causes of ill health; and
· Outlining actions needed to address these.
During this GPCD placement students will use this concept to examine an aspect of the health of a local area. They will need to identify one specific topic or health need in this locality that interests them and further explore how this health need could be better met.
The following steps outline the process for their GPCD project:
1) Planning – choosing the locality, topic and brainstorming the information they would like to gather.
2) Data collection (history and examination) – qualitative, quantitative and observational data collection
3) Diagnosis and treatment – use the information gathered to suggest a plan that would improve the health needs of that local community in relation to their topic of choice.
4) Presentation of findings – create a 5-6 minute presentation to outline their findings and plan to their tutorial group. There is limited time in the tutorial so they will be given a 4-5 min warning from their tutor. Students are asked to use the final minute to conclude their presentation so everyone has their allocated time. Time-keeping is an important part of developing presentation skills and students are encouraged to do an Elevator Pitch style presentation.
Explore the tabs below for more information on each step.
The Steps Involved in a Community Diagnosis Project: