Relevance for Public Health

The OHPP was developed specifically for public health. This tool provides public health practitioners and decision-makers with a rigorous mechanism to develop a program plan using the best available evidence. Evidence-informed program planning using a systematic process can provide rationale for the efficacy of public health interventions and meet funding requirements (Holmes, 2008). Specific Canadian public health examples of the tool’s application provide context in relation to health promoters, decision-makers and program evaluators.

Description

Public health practitioners face multiple, competing demands when planning community programs. These include time and financial constraints, varied planning methods used by partners and the need for immediate access to information (Hershfield et al., submitted). The Online Health Program Planner (OHPP) is a tool to plan a public health program in a systematic, evidence-informed manner. This tool’s six-step planning process includes 1. pre-planning and project management; 2. assessing the situation; 3. setting goals and outcome objectives; 4. choosing strategies and activities; 5. developing indicators; and 6. reviewing the developed plan. Anyone involved in program planning, including front-line workers, researchers, professionals, managers, decision-makers and policy makers (Hershfield et al., submitted), can use this tool. The OHPP was designed to support a number of public health programming needs from the initial concept to completion or to enhance an existing program. The OHPP has seven common uses including: planning a program from start to finish in an evidence-informed way, creating a logic model, creating complete outcome objectives, developing a plan to collect situational assessment data, organizing collected situational assessment data, reflecting and reviewing critical planning decisions, and prioritizing activities. Using the OHPP users can focus on one particular planning step or one worksheet within a step (for example, setting outcome objectives, or developing a data collection plan). Some of the other features of the OHPP include the ability to devise force field analysis, utilize an objective builder or create objectives free hand. Outputs are created in MS Word with the ability to save and print. Users can search the “Learning Centre” to consult an online manual, planning case studies, resources, completed examples, as well as for evidence to support planning decisions. However, this evidence has not been pre-appraised for quality and would require the user to examine and identify the best available evidence prior to its use in the tool. Based on a rigorous program planning model, this tool improves accountability for funding; provides access to current online planning tools; addresses multiple programming needs; and offers flexibility for program planning (Hershfield et al., submitted).

This online tool can be used by anyone involved with public health programming, including front-line workers, researchers, professionals, managers, decision-makers and policy makers. It can be used within a public health organization or with external stakeholders for the purposes of program planning and development.

Time for completion will vary depending on the use, perhaps up to a few hours to enter planning data and decisions. Many worksheets (planning steps) require time for analysis. Of course, planning a program itself may take months to plan, while using the OHPP at various steps along the way.

As a preliminary step before using this tool, the user must have examined and identified the best available evidence applicable to their programming needs. This tool does not appraise the quality of evidence used for program planning but facilitates the incorporation of the best available evidence to support program development and decision-making.

This interactive, online tool uses a six-step planning process (Hershfield et al., submitted) that includes: Step 1: Preplanning and project management – consider various elements that influence the planning process such as partnerships, resources and decision-making; Step 2: Assess the situation – examine all of the influential factors internal and external to the program; Step 3: Set goals and outcome objectives – prioritize goals, identify audiences and relationships between goals; Step 4: Choose strategies and activities – determine activities that will achieve objectives and identify necessary resources; Step 5: Develop indicators – develop measurable indicators for each objective; and Step 6: Review the program plan – create a logic model for the program.

The Health Communication Unit (THCU) at the University of Toronto and the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT).

The OHPP was developed using an accepted program logic model. Initial design strategies included the creation of story boards and a description of objectives so that key stakeholders could contribute to the development of the tool (Holmes, 2008). Throughout the development, usability of the tool was evaluated with selected end users, and modifications made as necessary. Development included a promotional and evaluation strategy (Holmes, 2008).

Larry Hershfield Manager, The Health Communication Unit The Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street, Room 400 Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7 Telephone: 416-978-0585 Email: hershfield.larry@utoronto.ca Dr. K. Clark Administrative Director, The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools 1685 Main Street West, Suite 302 Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 1G5 Telephone: 905-525-9140 x20450 Email: kclark@mcmaster.ca

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Hershfield, L., et al. (2009). Using an online health program planner: What’s in it for you? Canadian Journal of Public Health (outsert), submitted.

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