Health Policy and Planning

Question 1

Epidemiology’s contribution to health policy

Answer 1

Provides a frame work for health-promoting actions covering the social, economic, and environmental determinants for health. Health policy can be viewed as a set of decisions about strategic goals for the health sector and the means for achieving these goals.

Question 2

Influence of epidemiology

Answer 2

Influence of epidemiology is often mediated by public opinion. The growth in media attention given to epidemiological research has increased public awareness of the subject. Epidemiology is often an important factor influencing public policy but is rarely the only influence.

Question 3

A major difficulty in applying epidemiology to public policy

Answer 3

is the necessity for making judgements about the cause of a disease and decisions on what to do when the evidence is incomplete.

Question 4

When applying epidemiology to public policy

Answer 4

in a given country, difficult decisions have to be made about the relevance of research done elsewhere. Local evidence is required before local decision-makers accept the arguments for policy change or costly interventions.

Question 5

Using comparative data on mortality and disability helps to;

Answer 5

Weigh the effects of non-fatal health outcomes on overall population health

Inform debates on priorities for health service delivery and planning

Research and development of the health sector

Question 6

Concern for health and equity is needed in all areas of public policy such as:

Answer 6

Agricultural policies influence the availability, price and quality of meat and dairy products

Advertising and fiscal policies influence the price and availability of cigarettes or healthy foods such as fruit

Transport policies influence the extent of urban air pollution and the risk of traffic crashes

Question 7

Health policy in practice

Answer 7

The time-scale for the application of epidemiology research to policy varies, especially with chronic diseases, it can be measured in decades rather than years.

Question 8

Communicable diseases in health policy

Answer 8

have experienced more swift action than chronic diseases because infectious epidemics are seen as a national threat and a threat to the economy.

Question 9

Health service planning is

Answer 9

a process of identifying key objectives and choosing among alternative means of achieving them. While the process implies a rational set of actions, the reality of planning is often quite unpredictable.

Question 10

Influence of epidemiology on health planning

Answer 10

The systematic use of epidemiological principles and methods for planning and evaluating of health services is an important aspect of modern epidemiology.. From assessing the value of specific treatments it is a short strep to assessing the more general performance of health services.

Question 11

The planning cycle

Answer 11

1 - Assessing the burden
2 - Identifying the causes
3 - Measuring the effectiveness of existing interventions
4- Determining efficiency
5 - Implementing interventions
6 - Monitoring activities and measuring progress

Question 12

Assessing the burden

Answer 12

Measure the overall health status of the community. I.e., mortality and morbidity.

Question 13

Identifying the causes

Answer 13

Identify major preventable causes of disease so that intervention strategies can be developed.

Question 14

Measuring the effectiveness of existing interventions

Answer 14

Need information to guide decision-making on resource allocation, and the relationships between health intervention programmes and changes in health status.

Question 15

Determining efficiency

Answer 15

The measure of the relationship between the results achieved and resources expended. Through cost-effective analysis, cost-benefit analysis.

Question 16

Implementing interventions

Answer 16

Involved setting targets, and making sure they can be reached.

Question 17

Monitoring activities and measuring progress

Answer 17

Monitoring is continuous follow-up of activities to ensure they are proceeding to plan.

Question 18

Cost-effective analysis

Answer 18

Seeks to determine the costs and effectiveness of an intervention or its alternatives to determine the relative degree to which they result in the desired health outcome.

Question 19

Cost-benefit analysis

Answer 19

Considers economic costs of a defined type of disease or injury and the costs of prevention.

Question 20

The evaluation of health services.

Answer 20

Evaluation is the process of determining - as systematically and objectively as possible - the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of activities with respect to the agreed goals.