Problem Analysis

• Problem Conceptualization involves:

  • Evidence-based problem identification
  • Problem prioritization
  • Problem analysis (problem tree, objective tree, and alternative tree)
• Problem Prioritization:

  • Involves various stakeholders to identify a focal problem reflective of the community's context and needs
  • Allows planning and implementing solutions with a sound basis
• Steps in Selecting Community Health Priorities:

  1. Select a prioritization committee

  2. Discuss qualitative and quantitative data with the committee

  3. Review community assets to address the need

  4. Decide on priority needs

  5. Build consensus around priorities

  6. Validate selected priorities
• Techniques Used in Selecting a Priority:

  • Multi-voting technique
  • Strategy lists
  • Nominal group technique
  • Hanlon method
  • Prioritization matrix
• Criteria of Problem Measurement:

  A. Magnitude

  B. Feasibility

  C. Impact

  D. Urgency

  E. Social Concern

  F. Admin and Political Support

  G. Amenability to Intervention
• Problem Prioritization Matrix:

  • Criteria like magnitude, urgency, etc., are ranked based on importance
  • Members grade the problem on a scale of 1-5 and scores are averaged and multiplied to determine priority
• Problem Analysis:

  • Identifies negative aspects of a situation and cause-and-effect relationships
  • Involves identifying reasons for a problem and then finding solutions and improvement plans
• Importance of Community Problem Analysis:

  1. Better identify the problem

  2. Understand the root cause of the problem

  3. Determine barriers and resources for addressing the problem

  4. Develop the best action steps for addressing the problem
• When should you analyze a community problem?

  • When the community problem is not defined very clearly
  • When little is known about the community problem or its possible consequences
  • When you want to find causes that may improve the chance of successfully addressing the problem
  • When people are jumping to solutions too soon
  • When you need to identify actions to address the problem and find collaborative partners for taking action
• Problem Tree Analysis:

  • Tree-shaped diagram where the trunk represents the focal problem, the roots represent the causes, and the branches represent its effects
  • Helps stakeholders establish a realistic overview and awareness of the problem by identifying fundamental causes and their most important effects
• Steps in developing a Problem Tree Analysis:

  1. Identify major existing problems based on available information

  2. Select an individual starter, a focal problem for analysis

  3. Look for related problems to the starter problem and identify substantial causes/effects

  4. Construct the problem tree by establishing a hierarchy of cause and effect relationships

  5. Connect the problems with cause-and-effect arrows

  6. Review the diagram, verify its validity and completeness, and make necessary adjustments
• General remarks in developing a Problem Tree:

  • Representation of stakeholders is important for a shared understanding of the issues
  • Skilled facilitation and plenty of time are needed
  • Multiple causes for each effect and multiple effects for each cause
• Analysis of Objectives:

  • Describes future scenarios deriving from the problems' solution
  • Verifies the objectives' hierarchy
  • Clarifies in a diagram the means-end relations
• Steps in Objective Tree Analysis:

  1. Reformulate negative situations or problems analysis into positive, desirable, realistically achievable situations

  2. Check means-ends relationships for validity and completeness of the hierarchy

  3. Work from the bottom upwards to ensure cause-effect relationships become means-ends relationships

  4. Draw connecting lines to indicate means-ends relationships
• presence of existing policies, programs and support from the local chief executives

  Admin and Political Support