Health Promotion Program (Essay Sample)

Program Logic Model
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Program Logic Model to Prevent Medication Errors
Introduction
Organizations across voluntary, public and private sectors are increasingly being put to challenge to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of their programs. This includes being accountable to taxpayers, funding agencies and managers (Cooksy, Gill, & Kelly, 2011). Program logic model is among the tools that can help an organization achieve such tasks. Program logic model could be viewed as a diagram which provides a guide map for a certain program showing whatever is supposed to be done, why and with whom (Cheadle, Beery, Greenwald, Nelson, Pearson, & Senter, 2013). This model can help an organization take their evaluations of a program a step further. This is by involving stakeholders in putting into consideration the achievement of objectives, as well as view if the program addresses problems which seem to be appropriate for the specific program and the organization (Dwyer, Hansen, Barrera, Allison, Ceolin-Celestini, Koenig, et al. 2013).
These models are developed typically by workgroups that consist of staff, program planners and evaluators including stakeholders who seem knowledgeable with regard to the program or target group. A process of development which involves a workgroup as opposed to a single individual promotes greater involvement by stakeholders. Moreover, there is greater commitment to and acceptance of the program including an increased commitment to the utilization of evaluation results (Julian, & Clapp, 2010). Although there may be a multiple views on the way a program does or needs to perform, the development process of a model can bring about the program’s shared vision through negotiation and discovery. This paper thus, develops a program logic model for the purpose of preventing medication errors among the elderly population. Included is the introduction, the process of planning for sustainable health program for the elderly population under which there are a number of phases that shall be explained. Summing the paper up is the conclusion.
Process of Planning for Sustainable Health Program
This involves the critical analysis and explanation of the process of the intended logic program model for the prevention of medical errors while taking care of the elderly. The stages explained include, the planning phase, the implementation stage and the evaluation stage.
* The Planning Phase
Advancements in medicine, public health and technology over the last decades seem to have led to increased expectancy of life and the improvement in life’s quality. However, such a progress appears to have been coupled with an increased number of challenges to the population’s well-being (Kellogg Foundation. 2011). Among these challenges is the somewhat significant percentage of medication errors, more particularly on the healthcare of the old age group. The health or medical instructions that health professional give out and test results interpretation to the best of us appear to be bewildering even for those having high literacy levels. In line with this is the complying to and understanding drug treatment, as well as informed consent (Lafferty, & Mahoney, 2013). In particular this plan captures the appropriate utilization of health services, positive health behavior including improved health status that to the old age group, seem to be becoming more complex.
As stakeholders to the facilitation of this logic model for prevention of medication errors are the elderly population per se, their caretakers, the government, and the private firms through their activities of social corporate responsibility. For instance, Telecom Company can facilitate these by taking the cost and responsibility of sharing the required information with regard to the elderly population to take care of themselves to ensure an improved life expectancy in general. The government through its various ministries can ensure that the State’s environment is habitable at all places, the right medicines are available and prescribed by the right doctors under the care of the right nurses in the right health facilities. The various media can as well play a major part more particular in getting people to know the right and nutritious foods to consume. The determinants to be incorporated and considered in this program logic model for the prevention of medication errors include, health services, physical and social environments, education and literacy and social support networks. Others include income and social status and personal health practices and coping skills.
* The Implementation Phase
This will involve fostering changes in public health system and health care to prevent medical errors when taking care of the elderly. Caretakers need to ensure proven maximum self-care management including other services by the elderly individuals (Macaskill, et al 2010). The involved stakeholders need to provide better information and tools to social services, public health and health care workers who deliver care to the elderly individuals. Research need to be facilitated to fill the knowledge gaps about, including systems and interventions to benefit the elderly and prevent medical errors (Millar, Simeone & Carnevale, 2011). The elderly population needs to be identified and defined broadly.
Pilot studies and demonstration projects should be developed and expanded. Such projects should be longitudinal, multidisciplinary, innovative person-centered care models which improve the outcomes of health and life quality while decreasing or maintaining net costs, as well as putting into action the evidence-supported models (Schalock, & Bonham, 2013). Also as an implementation process is working with stakeholders in identifying, developing and testing incentives and the payment approaches which promote effective coordination of care for the elderly individuals (Muir Gray 2007). The desired health-care outcomes need to be defined clearly under this phase. Among such outcomes is raising the awareness to the elderly about the inappropriate use of medications and the harm that such medication errors can cause (Cheadle, Beery, Greenwald, Nelson, Pearson, & Senter, 2013). Determining an efficient way through which such elderly persons can be educated on the strategies which prevent medication errors, is in order (Tones, Tilford & Tones, 2011). As such, this leads us to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the whole project.
* Evaluation
Process evaluation method has been chosen as an ideal method for the evaluation phase of the logic model. The evaluation involves critical assessment, through rigorous ways, of healthcare’s aspect in assessing whether the pointed out objectives become fulfilled. Under process evaluation method a number of aspects become assessed (In Rootman, 2010). Through detecting effectiveness, to begin with, elderly healthcare benefits become measured by improvements in the prevention of medical errors within the health sector. As a matter of finding efficiency, elderly healthcare costs become related to the benefits or output obtained. Also reviewed under this method is the ethical, psychological and social acceptability with regard to the way the elderly people become treated in relation to the required healthcare (Linsley, Kane & Owen, 2011). Moreover, this process evaluation method puts into consideration the aspect of equity. In this case, this finds out whether there was fair distribution of the required healthcare amongst the various elderly individuals (Dixey & C.A.B. International. 2012).
It is normally impossible for all these factors to be maximized during an evaluation. Evaluation of healthcare can be carried out when there is a healthcare intervention. As such, the evaluations findings can inform the program that is ongoing or can as well be carried out when the program is completed. The process evaluation method will determine the extent to which the logic model for the prevention of medication errors has achieved the desired outcomes with regard to healthcare among the elderly (Linsley, Kane & Owen, 2011). Through this process method the usage of the various contributions to this model leading to the desired outcome will be assessed. This will give an avenue to scale down on what contributions to drop and what to keep and strengthen to ensure zero tolerance to medication errors.
Sustainability
Sustainability tends to be a crucial consideration when one plans and implements the innovations of health care. This seems to be so as without sustainability of the created program logic model people might solve same problems over and over repeatedly. To back up sustainability, Ottawa Charter identifies with five action areas that can help if incorporated for such a purpose. To begin with is the building of healthy public policy (Linsley, Kane & Owen, 2011). A policy of health promotion combines diverse however, complementary approaches that include organization change, taxation, legislation and fiscal measures. The second of these action areas is the creation of supportive environments. There is need to protect the built and natural environments. Furthermore, the natural resources conservation need to be addressed within any strategy of health promotion (Dixey & C.A.B. International. 2012).
Strengthening community actions can be of great significance to sustainability. Community development tends to draw on the existing material and human resources to enhance social support and self-help (Tones, Tilford & Tones, 2011). Nevertheless, it develops flexible systems which strengthen public direction of, and participation in, health matters. This requires continuous and full access to information including health learning opportunities and funding su...