AFRO-NETS> Rapid Appraisal in Primary Health Care

[Dieter Neuvians MD <neuvians@harare.iafrica.com>]

Rapid Appraisal in Primary Health Care
--------------------------------------

This week's British Medical Journal (BMJ 1999;318:440-444 - 13 Febru-
ary) publishes an article:

Experiences with "rapid appraisal" in primary care: involving the 
public in assessing health needs, orientating staff, and educating 
medical students.

by Scott A Murray, senior lecturer in general practice

that can be read full text at:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7181/440

Summary points:

Rapid appraisal can be used to involve the public in the identifica-
tion of local health needs and can supplement more formal methods of 
assessing needs;

Rapid appraisal is best used in homogeneous communities: practice 
populations tend to be heterogeneous;

Rapid appraisal can be modified to focus on the needs of specific 
groups of patients;

The process of rapid appraisal can give a structured orientation to 
new workers in the community;

Rapid appraisal can be adapted to introduce medical students to the 
concept of community diagnosis as a natural companion to individual 
clinical diagnosis.

Regards,
Dieter Neuvians
mailto:neuvians@harare.iafrica.com

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