When resources are limited, decisions must be made regarding which public health activities to undertake. A priority rating system, which incorporates various data sources, can be used to quantify disease problems or risk factors, or both. The model described in this paper ranks public health issues according to size, urgency, severity of the problem, economic loss, impact on others, effectiveness, propriety, economics, acceptability, legality of solutions, and availability of resources. As examples of how one State can use the model, rankings have been applied to the following health issues: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, coronary heart disease, injuries from motor vehicle accidents, and cigarette smoking as a risk factor. In this exercise, smoking is the issue with the highest overall priority rating. The model is sensitive to the precision of the data used to develop the rankings and works best for health issues that are not undergoing rapid change. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses can be incorporated into the model or used independently in the priority-setting process. Ideally, the model is used in a group setting with six to eight decision makers who represent the primary agency as well as external organizations. Using this method, health agencies, program directors, or community groups can identify the most critical issues or problems requiring intervention programs.
AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and precautionary behaviors were assessed among a random sample of Michigan-licensed emergency medical service (EMS) professionals between June and August 1988. Of 2,000 mailed questionnaires, 1,020 were returned (5...
Drug overdose mortality data for narcotics and cocaine for Texas for 1976-87 reveal a cyclic pattern of narcotics mortality falling from 0.92 per 100,000 population in 1976 to a low of 0.13 in 1979, and rising to 0.62 in 1986. The data also show a sh...
Rakowski, W; Lefebvre, R C; Assaf, A R; Lasater, T M; Carleton, R A;
Published Date:
1990 Sep-Oct
Source:
Public Health Rep. 105(5):481-491
Description:
Independently done surveys of a target population can make an important contribution to knowledge about the determinants of personal health behavior by highlighting variables that consistently emerge as significant predictors. This investigation exam...
The effect of ownership on the quality and cost of care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) was examined using unadjusted and adjusted mortality rates for such facilities in Illinois for the 1986-87 reporting year. Results indicated that when using ...
McLaughlin, J K; Hrubec, Z; Heineman, E F; Blot, W J; Fraumeni, J F;
Published Date:
1990 Sep-Oct
Source:
Public Health Rep. 105(5):535-537
Description:
The cigarette smoking habits of a cohort of almost 250,000 U. S. veterans were analyzed for their relationship to renal cancer. Information on smoking habits was collected in 1954 and in 1957 for nonrespondents to the first effort. Of the veterans, 8...
In 1988-89, the use of menstrual sanitary products was surveyed among 699 white, 477 black, and 425 Mexican American women to detect age and racial or ethnic differences in product use that might explain the differences in the incidence of toxic shoc...
The literature was reviewed to determine whether social model detoxification programs are safe and adequate for treating persons with alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The alcohol withdrawal syndrome has three stages. Each stage, more severe than the last...
Women without health insurance and those covered by Medicaid have been shown to obtain prenatal care later in pregnancy and make fewer visits for care than do women with private insurance. Factors that keep women from obtaining care include inadequat...
Seroprevalence surveys of incoming inmates provide useful sentinel information on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates among groups that practice HIV-associated high-risk behaviors. In addition, such data are beneficial to corrections o...
The use of telephone interviews for epidemiologic and public health studies has increased in recent years. Since telephone surveys are susceptible to lower response rates than personal interviews, several attempts have been reported to increase respo...
Data from surveys of the elderly are used by policy analysts to design health services programs. Consequently, the quality of survey data on elderly respondents has important implications for this growing segment of society: improving the quality of ...
The literature documents a significant decline in the prevalence of dental caries among children. Unfortunately, dental decay rates of children of migrant workers remain high. This study collected data from 885 migrant children in central Washington....
The investigators interviewed 100 drug users in a detoxification facility before and after they received information about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The drug users already had a considerable amo...
Rokaw, William M.; Mercy, James A.; Smith, Jack C.;
Published Date:
1990 Sep-Oct
Source:
Public Health Rep. 105(5):447-455
Description:
Both the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality System and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting System measure the numbers and characteristics of homicide in the United States. There are important differen...
Moore, Roscoe M.; Jeng, Lana L.; Kaczmarek, Ronald G.; Placek, Paul J.;
Published Date:
1990 Sep-Oct
Source:
Public Health Rep. 105(5):471-475
Description:
Medical devices and diagnostic imaging procedures such as ultrasound, X-rays, and electronic fetal monitoring devices are used in the medical care of many pregnant women today. The responsibility for the safety and effectiveness of these diagnostic t...
Lillquist, P P; Alciati, M H; Baptiste, M S; Nasca, P C; Kerner, J F; Mettlin, C;
Published Date:
1994 Nov-Dec
Source:
Public Health Rep. 109(6):791-803
Description:
A number of data sources routinely available to State health departments were analyzed as part of a State health department cancer control planning effort. This planning effort consisted of seven steps; the most challenging one was the establishment ...
Potter, Margaret A.; Houck, Olivia C.; Miner, Kathleen; Shoaf, Kimberley;
Published Date:
2013 Sep-Oct
Source:
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013; 19(0 2):S22-S27.
Description:
Tracking progress toward the goal of preparedness for public health emergencies requires a foundation in evidence derived both from scientific inquiry and from preparedness officials and professionals. Proposed in this article is a conceptual model f...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.), Epidemiology Program Office.
Published Date:
August 18, 1995
Series:
MMWR. Recommendations and reports : Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports ; v. 44, no. RR-10
Description:
Because resources are finite, public health decision makers need to consider the costs and effectiveness of alternative prevention strategies. A simplified approach to performing marginal cost-effectiveness analyses requires a) a description of the p...
File Type:
[PDF - 167.15 KB]
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