A Guide to Facilitating Health Systems Change

The purpose of this guide is to help states facilitate changes in health care systems to improve prevention and management of heart disease and stroke and their risk factors. The guide was developed with the idea that state health departments can facilitate such changes by involving a diverse group of health care partners to assess the state of heart disease and stroke prevention and management, to identify changes that are needed to improve the quality of care, and to determine how best to make those changes. The goal of this guide is to provide advice to state heart disease and stroke prevention programs in encouraging the adoption of established models to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or its risk factors. Programs should review the entire guide to determine which sections and resources are most appropriate for them, given the current environment for systems change within their state.

This guide includes samples of tools states have developed to assist with program planning, implementation, and evaluation activities within the health care system. The tools provided at the end of each section can be altered or augmented to meet organizational and partner needs.

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• Guide to Facilitating Health System Change [PDF-335K]

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention resource library, Evaluation Guides.
2. Cohen L, Baer N, Satterwhite P., Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide. In: Wurzbach ME, ed. Community Health Education & Promotion: A Guide to Program Design and Evaluation. 2nd ed. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen Publishers Inc; 2002:144-161.
3. Cohen L, and Gould J. The Tensions of Turf: Making It Work for the Coalition. Oakland, Calif: Prevention Institute; 2003.
4. Committee on Quality of Health Care In America, Institute Of Medicine, Crossing The Quality Chasm: New Health System for The 21st Century, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2001.
5. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Emergency Medical Services: Agenda For The Future, Transportation Dept., 2004.
6. Taylor-Powell, E., Steele, S., Douglah, M., Planning a Program Evaluation, University of Wisconsin – Extension, 1996.
7. W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Evaluation Handbook, 1998.
8. Communities of Excellence in Tobacco Control. Robert W. Moon, MPH, Northwest Health Partners, LLC, Ron Todd, MSEd, American Cancer Society, 2001.