Mentored Activity: Prioritization and Detailed Assessment of the Selected Health Problem Assignment

In this activity, you will work on the third step “Prioritization of Needs” and fourth step “Detailed Assessment of the Selected Health Problem” of the COPC process

Step 1: Read the description of “Prioritization of Needs” that can be found on the District of Columbia AHEC website Since many communities have various health needs and restricted resources, it is important to prioritize those requirements and make an objective selection of a health concern. Also, read the description of “detailed assessment” that can be found on the DC (District of Columbia) AHEC website. Read the DC AHEC document on “Detailed Assessment”.  

Step 2: Develop a set of questions and interview community members in order to gather information about the selected health condition. Your set of questions might include how it affects daily lives, how people feel about the condition, what they witness in the community, etc.

Step 3: Discuss with your mentor the health needs of the community and the methods to prioritize them, also, discuss with your mentor the assessment of the selected health condition. 

Step 4: Write a 100 to 200-word description of the prioritization of health concerns in your community. Include why you decided to prioritize in this way in your description. You should engage the help of community members in your project wherever possible.

Step 5: Write a detailed 600 to 900-word text assessing the health condition in your defined community. Your assessment must include:

• A definition of the population (all or certain sub-groups)
• Assessment of health status, determinants and outcomes related to the specific condition
• Methods of data collection (are they valid and reliable?)
• Limitations of the collected and available data (e.g., what questions remain?)

Step 6: Submit one document with your assignments for the third step “Prioritization of Needs” and fourth step “Detailed Assessment of the Selected Health Problem” of the COPC process to get feedback from your mentor. 

Please note: You do not need to submit your text for peer review, but feel free to get feedback from your mentor. However, you will use what you wrote to complete your project proposal in Module 4. As such, make sure you save your assignments for this activity.