Analysis of health education sections of health systems plans

Health Systems Agencies are required by federal guidelines to plan for and provide educational opportunities for residents of their health service areas. A study was conducted of 9 health education components of health systems plans developed by HSAs in Region III. The health education plans were analyzed and scored using the "Health Education Plan Scorecard" developed by Sullivan and adapted by the present authors. Specifically this modified scorecard consists of eight dimensions of the health education planning process: Involvement, Principles and Practice of Health Education, Defining Problems, Setting Goals and Objectives, Recommending Actions, Obtaining Resources, Planning for Implementation, and Planning for Evaluation. Ratings were generally higher on the first five dimensions of the scorecard. The last three dimensions produced lower scores. The overall average score was 41 points out of a possible 100. Thus indicating the general overall low scores received by the plans. The paper includes 18 recommendations to HSAs for improving the quality of health education plans. A key recommendation is that the Health Education Plan Scorecard should be used as a guide and check list during the plan development process.