Developing partnerships and setting priorities for population health issues

Population Health

The goal of a population health approach is "to maintain and improve the health status of the entire population and to reduce inequalities in health status between groups and/or subgroups," (Health Canada 1999). A macro approach to health care requires both a clear establishment of priorities and the development of effective partnerships. Collaborative partnerships, defined as "people and organizations from multiple sectors working together in common purpose" transcend the boundaries that prevent access to care (Roussos & Fawsett 2000, p. 369). In addition to developing collaborative partnerships with the goal of teambuilding, population health specialists also need to clearly formulate goals and priorities for their target populations. For example, identifying disease etiology and prevalence may be a first step towards determining allocation of funding. Once the major disease problems within a given population are identified, we must begin the research required to build an effective collaborative partnership. Before developing partnerships, we need to know which organizations or institutions to approach and where to apply for funding or resource development. As Jamison & Mosley (1991) point out, assessing the social and economic consequences of specific diseases on specific communities or populations is a primary step towards setting priorities and building collaborative partnerships. At this stage in the establishment of population health priorities, researchers can also evaluate the array of intervention strategies available, assess their costs and the feasibility of implementation, and outlining a possible program of action.

The next step in the process of creating an effective population health program is design the healthcare delivery systems and executing that design. Here is where the importance of partnership development becomes most apparent. We need to have access to local infrastructures, such as those that provide pharmaceutical distribution networks and other practical support. Teambuilding with local educational institutions and media may help with outreach and public service announcements. Understanding local laws will require collaborative partnerships with legal aid institutions as well as with members of local governments.

As the Public Health Agency of Canada (2001) points out, population health goals are best expressed in terms of quantifiable measures. "When health goals are expressed in measurable objectives and quantified targets, they provide the yardstick to measure population health improvements (or lack thereof)," (Public Health Agency of Canada 2001). Therefore, developing a set of measurable population health objectives will aid in the establishment of clear priorities and objectives. Once those priorities are set, the team of healthcare professionals can begin the task of implementing the programs that will achieve the healthcare goals. Without effective prioritizing, funding can too easily be wasted, resources squandered on poor organization. A well-organized team is one that is highly effective and cost-effective too. Limited funding for population health programs constrains the ability for policy makers to be too open-ended about their programs and interventions.