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Criteria of Prioritization Edited

Prioritization processes require preliminary preparations including community and agency assessments to identify potential priority health issues. Key criteria for prioritization include impact, cost, availability of solutions, and resources. Several methods can be used for prioritization including multi-voting, strategy grids, nominal group technique, the Hanlon method, and prioritization matrices. The objectives and criteria must be clear and selection should avoid bias.

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95 views2 pages

Criteria of Prioritization Edited

Prioritization processes require preliminary preparations including community and agency assessments to identify potential priority health issues. Key criteria for prioritization include impact, cost, availability of solutions, and resources. Several methods can be used for prioritization including multi-voting, strategy grids, nominal group technique, the Hanlon method, and prioritization matrices. The objectives and criteria must be clear and selection should avoid bias.

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Yonas Mamo
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Criteria of Prioritization

Prior to the implementation of any prioritization process, preliminary preparations are necessary to
ensure the most appropriate and democratic selection of priority health issues.

1. Community assessment – Conducting assessments will determine the current status and detect
gaps to focus on as potential priority areas. LHDs engaging in the Public Health Accreditation
Board (PHAB) accreditation process must conduct a community health assessment (CHA) as a
prerequisite for eligibility. A CHA provides data on the overall health of a community and
uncovers target priority areas where a population may have increased risk for poor health
outcomes.
2. Agency self-assessment - As part of the national accreditation process, LHDs must use the PHAB
agency self-assessment tool to evaluate agency performance against nationally recognized
standards. Post-assessment, LHDs can analyze their results and determine strengths and areas
for improvement to address through continuous quality improvement efforts. Prioritization
methods can be used to help select areas for improvement from a CHA or PHAB self-
assessment.
3. Clarify objectives and processes – Before beginning the process, LHD leadership must ensure
that all team members have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives along with the
chosen prioritization process.
4. Establish criteria - Selection of appropriate prioritization criteria on which to judge the merit of
potential focus areas is important to avoid selection based on bias or hidden agendas and
ensure that everyone is ‘on the same page.’ Table 1.1 below identifies criteria commonly used
in prioritization processes:
Table 1.1: Commonly Used Prioritization Criteriaii
Criteria to Identify Priority Problem Criteria to Identify Intervention for Problem
Cost and/or return on investment Expertise to implement solution
Availability of solutions Return on investment
Impact of problem Effectiveness of solution
Availability of resources (staff, time, money, Ease of implementation/maintenance
equipment) to solve problem Potential negative consequences
Urgency of solving problem (H1N1 or air Legal considerations
pollution) Impact on systems or health
Size of problem (e.g. # of individuals affected) Feasibility of intervention

Prioritization in Practice
The following section highlights five prioritization methods:

1. Multi-voting Technique
2. Strategy Grids
3. Nominal Group Technique
4. The Hanlon Method
5. Prioritization Matrix

It is important to remember that no right or wrong method of prioritization exists.


References
Health People 2010 Toolkit. Setting Health Priorities and Establishing Objectives. Available at
http://www.healthypeople.gov/State/toolkit/priorities.htm. Accessed February 9, 2009.

ii
Public Health Foundation. Priority Setting Matrix. Available at http://www.phf.org/infrastructure/priority-matrix.pdf.
Accessed February 9,
2010

iii
American Society for Quality. Evaluation and Decision Making Tools: Multi-voting. Available at
http://www.asq.org/learn-about-
quality/decision-making-tools/overview/mutivoting.html. Accessed December 2, 2009.

iv
Duttweiler, M. 2007. Priority Setting Tools: Selected Background and Information and Techniques. Cornell Cooperative
Extension.

v
American Society of Quality. Idea Creation Tools: Nominal Group Technique. Available at http://www.asq.org/learn-
about-quality/idea-
creation-tools/overview/nominal-group.html. Accessed December 2, 2009.

vi
National Association of County and City Health Officials. 1996. Assessment Protocol for Excellence in Public Health:
Appendix E.

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