Develop a population health improvement plan, based on your evaluation of the best available demographic, environmental, and epidemiological data, that focuses on your diagnosis of a widespread population health issue.

Part of effectively engaging in evidence-based practice is the ability to synthesize raw health data with research studies and other relevant information in the literature. This will enable you to develop sound interventions, initiatives, and outcomes to address health concerns that you find in data during the course of your practice.

In this assessment, you have an opportunity to evaluate community demographic, environmental, and epidemiological data to diagnose a widespread population health issue, which will be the focus of a health improvement plan that you develop.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 2: Apply evidence-based practice to design interventions to improve population health.       
  • Evaluate community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data to diagnose widespread population health issues.
  • Develop an ethical health improvement plan to address a population health issue within a community.
• Competency 3: Evaluate outcomes of evidence-based interventions.       
  • Propose criteria for evaluating population health improvement plan outcomes.
• Competency 4: Evaluate the value and relative weight of available evidence upon which to make a clinical decision.       
  • Justify the value and relevance of evidence used as the basis of a population health improvement plan.
• Competency 5: Synthesize evidence-based practice and academic research to communicate effective solutions.       
  • Develop a strategy for communicating with colleagues and members of the community in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way.
  • Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.
•  Questions to Consider
      As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
  Recall an experience you have had working with a population, or as part of a community health improvement initiative, or a time in your care setting that you observed this type of work within your organization or community.
   
  • How were data and information about the community incorporated into the work?      
    • Was the diversity of culture and beliefs in the community taken into account?
    • Were other, secondary, health concerns of the community also taken into account?
    • Were the economic and daily environmental realities of the community taken into account?
  • What, if any, ethical issues were considered in working with specific groups and stakeholders in the community?
  • What suggestions might you offer for doing things differently, if you could revisit that work?      
    • Would you set different goals?
  • What evidence would you present to support your recommendations?
•  Resources
      Suggested Resources
  The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.
  Evidence-Based Practice
   
  • Cabassa, L. J., Stefancic, A., O’Hara, K., El-Bassel, N., Lewis-Fernndez, R., Luchsinger, J. A., . . . Palinkas, L. A. (2015). . Trials, 16, 388401.
  • Dombrowski, J. J., Snelling, A. M., & Kalicki, M. (2014). . Workplace Health & Safety, 62(8), 3429, 350.
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  • The Joint Commission. (2016). . Retrieved from www.jointcommission.org/health_care_leaders_meet_address_health_care_disparity_/
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•  Assessment Instructions
      Preparation
  Your organization is undertaking a population health improvement initiative focused on one of the pervasive and chronic health concerns in the local community. Examples of health improvement initiatives include nationwide concerns, such as type 2 diabetes, HIV, obesity, and Zika. However, your organization has asked you to determine which widespread health concern should be addressed in a population health improvement plan for the community in which you practice and has entrusted you with gathering and evaluating the relevant data.
  Requirements
  Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. In addition, you may want to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
  Data Evaluation
  Evaluate community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data.
   
  • Identify the relevant data.
  • Describe the major community health concerns suggested by the data.
  • Explain how environmental factors affect the health of community residents.
  • Health Improvement Plan
    Develop an ethical health improvement plan that effectively addresses the population health concern that you identified in your evaluation of the relevant data.
     
  • Base your plan on the best available evidence from a minimum of 35 current scholarly or professional sources.      
    • Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
    • Attach a reference list to your plan.
  • Ensure that your plan meets the cultural and environmental needs of your community and will likely lead to some improvement in the community’s health related to this concern.      
    • Consider the environmental realities and challenges that exist in the community.
    • Address potential barriers or misunderstandings related to the various cultures prevalent in the community.
  • Justify the value and relevance of the evidence you used as the basis of your plan.      
    • Explain why the evidence is valuable and relevant to the community health concern you are addressing.
    • Explain why each piece of evidence is appropriate and informs the goal of improving the health of the community.
  • Propose relevant and measurable criteria for evaluating the outcomes of your plan.      
    • Explain why your proposed criteria are appropriate and useful measures of success.
  • Explain how you will communicate with colleagues and members of the community, in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way, with regard to the development and implementation of your plan.      
    • Develop a clear communications strategy mindful of the cultural and ethical expectations of colleagues and community members regarding data privacy.
    • Ensure that your strategy enables you to make complex medical terms and concepts understandable to members of the community, regardless of language, disabilities, or level of education.
  • Note: Faculty may use the when grading this assessment. The Writing Feedback Tool is designed to provide you with guidance and resources to develop your writing based on five core skills. You will find writing feedback in the Scoring Guide for the assessment, once your work has been evaluated.

Grading Rubrik

1. Evaluate community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data to diagnose widespread population health issues.

Passing Grade: Evaluates community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data in the diagnosis of a widespread population health issue. Identifies knowledge gaps, unknowns, missing information, unanswered questions, or areas of uncertainty (where further information could improve the evaluation). 

2. Develop an ethical health improvement plan to address a population health issue within a community.

Passing Grade: Develops an ethical health improvement plan to address a population health issue within a community, and identifies assumptions on which the plan is based. 

3. Justify the value and relevance of evidence used as the basis of a population health improvement plan.

Passing Grade: Justifies the value and relevance of evidence used as the basis of a population health improvement plan, and impartially considers conflicting data and other perspectives. 

4) Propose criteria for evaluating population health improvement plan outcomes.

Passing Grade: Proposes criteria for evaluating population health improvement plan outcomes, and explains why other possible criteria were considered and rejected. 

5) Develop a strategy for communicating with colleagues and members of the community in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way.

Passing Grade: Develops a strategy for communicating with colleagues and members of the community in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way; acknowledges potential difficulties and how those challenges will be met. 

6) Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.

Passing Grade: Integrates relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style. Citations are error-free.