Strategic planning and the health care supervisor

This article explores strategic planning from the perspective of the health care supervisor. It analyzes the strategic environment of organizations, the planning process, how to evaluate the strategic plan, and the implementation phase. A strategic planning model is offered as well as a view of the future of strategic planning. The article articulates that strategic planning should emphasize flexibility. The plan needs to be custom designed for the particular organization. Strategic planning is a primary vehicle for health care supervisors to use work teams to further develop organizational effectiveness. Finally, strategic planning is linked to both research and systems theory.     

Pandemic Influenza Planning,United States, 1978–2008

During the past century, 4 influenza pandemics occurred. After the emergence of a novel influenza virus of swine origin in 1976, national, state, and local US public health authorities began planning efforts to respond to future pandemics. Several events have since stimulated progress in public health emergency planning: the 1997 avian influenza A(H5N1) outbreak in Hong Kong, China; the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States; the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome; and the 2003 reemergence of influenza A(H5N1) virus infection in humans. We outline the evolution of US pandemic planning since the late 1970s, summarize planning accomplishments, and explain their ongoing importance. The public health community’s response to the 2009 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic demonstrated the value of planning and provided insights into improving future plans and response efforts. Preparedness planning will enhance the collective, multilevel response to future public health crises.     

Strategic market planning in hospitals: is it done? Does it work?

A nationwide survey of strategic market planning within hospitals was conducted. The level of strategic market planning activity performed by hospitals is reported. Level of planning maturity also is determined. Levels of activity and maturity are related to satisfaction with strategic market planning. Results and implications are presented.     

Agriculture aides: a new manpower resource?

A survey was conducted among nutrition aides in the U.S. to find out their attitudes toward family planning, and to determine if the low-income families in their case-loads had expressed an interest in family planning. A random sample of nutrition aides was drawn, and questionnaires directed toward selected aides. There was a 95% response rate (375) and an overwhelming endorsement of family planning. 93.7% declared their clientele needed information on family planning, and 2/3 reported they had been asked for birth control information on family planning, and families they serviced. Almost 97% of the aides gave some kind of birth control advice when asked for it, although mostly of a referral nature. 87% of the respondents said if trained, they would be willing to teach family planning. It would be beneficial if the Department of Agriculture would assume more responsibility in family planning matters through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, of which these aides are a part. In 1971, 9,000 women served as aides to more than 1.7 million low-income persons. The Department of Agriculture could request special funds for training in family planning of aides. Various groups within the Extension program could relay their needs and interest in family planning to their state Extension services and to the national body for program development.     

Advancing the state of the art in healthcare strategic planning

A recent survey of the state of strategic planning among healthcare organizations indicates that planners and executives believe that healthcare strategic planning practices are effective and provide the appropriate focus and direction for their organizations. When compared to strategic planning practices employed outside of the healthcare field, however, most healthcare strategic planning processes have not evolved to the more advanced, state-of-the-art levels of planning being used successfully outside of healthcare. While organizations that operate in stable markets may be able to survive using basic strategic planning practices, the volatile healthcare market demands that providers be nimble competitors with advanced, ongoing planning processes that drive growth and organizational effectiveness. What should healthcare organizations do to increase the rigor and sophistication of their strategic planning practices? This article identifies ten current healthcare strategic planning best practices and recommends five additional innovative approaches from pathbreaking companies outside of healthcare that have used advanced strategic planning practices to attain high levels of organizational success.     

Pregnancy planning and folic acid supplement use: results from a survey in Quebec

BACKGROUND: To decrease the risk of neural tube defects, all women planning pregnancy or capable of becoming pregnant should take folic acid supplements. The aim of the study was to describe the association between pregnancy planning and vitamin supplement use. METHODS: A total of 1,858 pregnant women registered for a prenatal ultrasound examination in the Montérégie region, Province of Quebec, Canada, completed a questionnaire between November 1997 and May 1998. Pregnancy planning was described by six ordinal variables, which were included in a nonlinear principal component analysis. The main dimension representing the intensity of pregnancy planning was used as the dependent variable in a multivariate linear regression model, and as a basis for assessing vitamin use according to four levels of planning. RESULTS: A majority of women scored high for intensity of pregnancy planning. Planning intensity score increased with age and was higher among women who attended university, had a family income greater than CAD $30,000, and were married. Vitamin use in the period prior to conception occurred with a frequency of 27.5%, increasing moderately with planning intensity scores. Overall, only 13.5% of fetuses were exposed to adequate doses of folic acid. CONCLUSION: A promotion campaign selectively targeting women likely to plan a pregnancy could have a significant impact in reducing neural tube defect incidence.     

Empirical designation of health service areas.

A method for identifying viable health service areas for a state is described. A computer program was developed that evaluates combinations of contiguous counties using a set of 56 variables strategic to the construction of health planning areas and the spatial context of health care delivery, in keeping with the structural requirements of the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974. The objective of the evaluation is to minimize differences among planning regions and between planning regions and the state.     

The use of programme planning and social marketing models by a state public health agency: a case study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of planning models and social marketing planning principles within a state's central public health agency as a means for informing improved planning practices. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 key programme planners in selected division branches, and a quantitative survey was distributed to 63 individuals responsible for programme planning in 12 programme-related branches. RESULTS: Employees who have an appreciation of and support for structured programme planning and social marketing may be considered the 'low hanging fruit' or 'early adopters'. On the other hand, employees that do not support or understand either of the two concepts have other barriers to using social marketing when planning programmes. A framework describing the observed factors involved in programme planning on an individual, interpersonal and organizational level is presented. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the individual and structural barriers and facilitators of structured programme planning and social marketing is critical to increase the planning capacity within public health agencies.     

Enhancing planning strategies for sunscreen use at different stages of change

To promote sun safety by implementing different plans for sunscreen use, different psychological interventions are compared. Self-regulatory strategies such as action planning and coping planning are seen as proximal predictors of actual behavior. The study compares a pure planning intervention with a broader resource communication and examines differential effects at different stages of change. A sun safety online study was designed with two intervention groups (resource communication versus planning) and one control group at two assessment points, 2 weeks apart. Participants (N?=?292) were grouped post hoc according to their stage of change, resulting in 51 pre-intenders (no intention to use sunscreen), 102 intenders (high intention but no regular use of sunscreen) and 139 actors (sunscreen use on a regular basis). No overall treatment effects on planning, but an interaction between time, stage and intervention emerged. The resource communication was more effective for pre-intenders, whereas the planning intervention proved more effective for intenders. A planning treatment was more beneficial in motivated individuals, whereas a broader approach was better for unmotivated ones. Findings highlight the potential that stage-matched interventions might have in the context of sun safety promotion.     

A ‘learning-by-doing’ treatment planning tutorial for medical physicists

A framework for a tutorial for treatment planning in radiation oncology physics was developed, based on the University of Washington treatment planning systemPrism. The tutorial is aimed at students in Medical Physics to accompany the lectures on treatment planning to enhance their theoretical knowledge. A web-based layout was chosen to allow independent work of the students. The tutorial guides the students through three different learning modules, designed mainly to enhance their understanding of the processes involved in treatment planning but also to learn the specific features of a modern treatment planning system. Each of the modules contains four units, with the aim to introduce the relevantPrism features, practice skills in different tasks and finally check the learning outcomes with a challenge and a self-scoring quiz. A survey for students’ feedback completes the tutorial. Various tools and learning methods help to create an interactive, appealing learning environment, in which the emphasis is shifted from teacher-centred to student-centred learning paradigms. In summary,Prism lends itself well for educational purposes. The tutorial covers all main aspects of treatment planning. In its current form the tutorial is self-contained but still adjustable and expandable. The tutorial can be made available upon request to the authors.     

Local Reinvention of the CDC HIV Prevention Community Planning Initiative

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with 65 states, cities, and territories, implemented HIV prevention community planning beginning in 1994. This large scale innovation in public health planning has involved tens of thousands of professionals and community residents. Though a single case study, Michigan provides a strong test of the implementation of this national prevention planning model because of the state's decentralized approach to HIV prevention community planning involving several hundred residents. A decentralized approach to community planning promises to maximize participation and the sharing of leadership as well as obstacles to community planning. Here, the CDC Guidance for community planning is contrasted with empirical observation of implementation in Michigan. We conclude that the high expectations for a decentralized approach to HIV prevention community planning can be best achieved when a distinction is drawn between information-seeking tasks and decision-making tasks. We recommend that information-seeking tasks be centrally coordinated, and that decision-making tasks be decentralized, to most fully achieve the potential of HIV prevention community planning.     

医师职业生涯规划长效管理机制探讨

目的：通过尝试建立医师职业生涯规划长效管理机制,走出驻军医院培养人才的新路,达到为我所用、人尽其才的目的。方法设计规划方案,包括建立规划管理组织、建立医师评价系统、设计职业规划方案、职业规划实施步骤四个环节。结果划分出职业生涯规划时限、制作《医师职业生涯规划实施手册》、《医师职业生涯规划专业资料》、《医院重点学科和核心技术五至十年发展实施方案》。结论将医师个人职业规划与医院发展规划相结合,建立长效管理机制,对驻军医院人才建设具有现实意义。     

The changing attitude and practice of menregarding family planning in Lagos, Nigeria

Men's role in family planning is often neglected. This is unfortunate, especially since men's attitudes often influence their partner's use of family planning and since there is evidence that many men favour family planning. A study done in Lagos, Nigeria indicates that men's knowledge and use has increased over the years, and that attitudes towards male sterilization are not all negative. Some defects in male knowledge of family planning were identified, and suggestions made for health education. Though the sample was a small one, the findings may help others to deliver appropriate family planning services.     

深圳市试点社区流动人口计划生育服务现状分析评价

目的:对深圳市计划生育部门开展流动人口计划生育服务的现状进行评价,为改进服务质量提供依据。方法:采用现状分析的方法开展研究,用SPSS11·5进行数据统计分析。结果:试点地区采取一系列改革措施服务流动人口,使流动人口计划生育率由56·40%上升为70·21%。但与计划生育优质服务的要求和流动人口的实际需求尚存在一定的差距。结论:流动人口的计划生育服务质量尚需提高。可从调整服务队伍结构、加强避孕节育的知情选择及随访指导,扩大服务信息宣传等方面入手予以改进。     

The personnel touch in mapping strategies

Human resources departments are playing an increasingly important role in planning their hospitals' long-term competitive strategies, according to this year's MODERN HEALTHCARE survey of employee benefits and human resources issues. A human resources executive is a member of the strategic planning team at 52% of the hospitals that responded to the survey, and the human resources department assists in planning at half of the other hospitals.     

A-N两班制排班模式在医院优质服务病区的应用效果

目的探讨A-N两班制排班模式在优质病区的运用,使有限的护理人力达到更优化的组合,来提高护理质量和护士排班的满意度。方法将创优病区普外科采用APN排班模式的阶段为对照组,采用改革后A-N两班制排班模式的阶段(即A代表上午班,上班时间8:00～16:30;N代表夜班,双人上班,上班时间16:30～次日08:00,其中22:00～次日02:00时间段可休息1人,02:00～06:00时间段可休息1人)为实验组,评价两组实施前后的护理质量、病人满意度、护士对排班的满意度等效果。结果实施A-N两班制排班模式后创优病区的护理质量、病人满意度、护士排班的满意度明显高于APN连续性排班模式病区(p<0.05,差异有统计学意义)。结论 A-N两班制排班模式能满足当下护士的需要,值得基层医院优质服务病区在排班方面借鉴。     

Synergistic effects of planning and self-efficacy on physical activity

Many individuals are motivated to improve their physical activity levels but often fail to act on their good intention. This study examines the roles of planning and self-efficacy in the prediction of physical activity. A total of 290 participants (77% women, mean age = 41.9 years) were surveyed three times. Intentions, planning, and physical activity were specified as a mediator chain. Results reveal that intentions were partly translated into physical activity by planning. Self-efficacy moderated this mediation, reflected by a planning × self-efficacy interaction (p < .05) on physical activity accounting for 16% of the variance in behavior. If a person is self-efficacious, planning seems more likely to be translated into physical activity.     

The Role of Effective Discharge Planning in Preventing Homelessness

Effective discharge planning can contribute significantly to preventing homelessness. As part of a larger continuum of care, this process can help people reach goals of stable housing, recovery, and increased quality of life in the community. Discharge planning identifies and organizes services a person with mental illness, substance abuse, and other vulnerabilities needs when leaving an institutional or custodial setting and returning to the community. A three-component model is presented, relating discharge planning to institutional assessment and treatment, and to community services. Service challenges, innovative programs (based on a state-by-state analysis), and recommendations for enhancing discharge planning also are discussed.     

'Balanced Scorecard' helps fix Overlake strategic plan

Key points. A viable strategic plan includes well-defined performance measures and targets. Kaplan & Norton's "Balanced Scorecard" is a useful (but not widely used) tool to help hospitals in the strategic planning process. A viable strategic plan requires input from all of a hospital's "stakeholders." Make the planning process fun, visual, and interactive.