Summary

In this study session, you have learned that:

1. Planning is the process of making thoughtful and systematic decisions about what needs to be done, how it has to be done, by whom, and with what resources.
2. Planning health education activities has several advantages. It enables you to prioritise problems, use your resources efficiently, avoid duplication of activities, and develop the most effective methods to solve community health problems.
3. Planning should be based on your local situation, and take into account all the interests and needs of the community.
4. A needs assessment is the usual starting point for the health planning process. There are a variety of techniques you can use for this, including observation, interviews and focus group discussions.
5. No matter what techniques are used to conduct your health and resource needs assessments, the basic concept is to find out more about health problems in your community, and gather information about their underlying causes.

Planning is covered in more depth in Study Session 13.