IEC APPROACH IN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING M.sc Nursing Institute of Nursing Education, Mumbai.

2. • AIM-
• At the end of seminar on Information, education and
Communication the group will be able to apply knowledge on
promoting the health of population and prevention of diseases.
• Objectives- the group will be able to
• Define IEC,and concept of IEC
• Explain aims and scope and approaches of IEC.
• Discuss strategy planning of IEC.
• Describe sources of health information.
• Explain different approaches to health education.
• Explain principles of health education.
• Explain communication process.
• Discuss types and barriers of communication.
• Discuss tele-medicine and tele-nursing.

3. Introduction
• The Information, Education & Communication (IEC)
strategy aims to create awareness and disseminate
information regarding the benefits available under
various schemes/programmes of the Ministry and to
guide the citizens on how to access them.
• IEC initiatives are based on the concept of
prevention and primary health care, largely concerned
with indiduval behavior change or reinforcement,
changes in community and social norms. Its helps in
sustaining health, changing bad habits and promoting
health status.

4. Definition of IEC
• IEC can be defined as an approach which attempts to
change or reinforce a set of behaviors in a target
audience regarding a specific problem in a predefined
period of time. -WHO

5. Concept of IEC
• Information, Education and Communication are
interrelated.
• Education is obtained through information and
communication; while education is a great source of
information on other hand communication is a link for
education and information.
• So the application of IEC,all steps that is planning,
implementation monitoring and evaluation should be used
with care.
• The ultimate aim of s of IEC; behavior change and
promotion of health status can be achieved.
• Target audience should be given due importance during
IEC process.

6. AIMS AND SCOPE OF IEC
• The main aims of IEC are;
• 1. To change the health behavior of indiduval,
family and community.
• 2. To prepare background or basis for change in
health behavior.
• 3. To change the norms of community.
• 4. To facilitate education for audience about public
health and to create awareness in public opinion.
• 5. To obtain or garner social, political support for
health activities.

7. • The important scope/fields in IEC in relation to
health are as follows.
• Primary health care
• Prevention of disease/control on communicable
disease.
• Reproductive health/maternal and child health
services.
• Family welfare
• Nutritional services.
• Personal hygiene.

8. Strategy: Planning, Implementing Monitoring
and Evaluating
• Make comprehensive strategy.
• This means clear objectives, client-centered designing,
conducting appropriate research, undertaking audience
segmentation, carefully crafting and testing messages,
knowing and selecting appropriate channel(s) and
planning for monitoring and evaluating.
• Give emphasis on long term capacity building.
• Plan sufficient time, to foster changes in social and
behavioral norms. (Keep in mind, changing behavior is
not an easy or quick task).
• Link the IEC programme with health care service delivery
programs.
• Plan for any type of reward, if people learn new behavior
in a best manner.

9. Implementing a Strategy
• •Take support of community leaders. The use of
opinion leaders and decision makers can enhance the
success of an IEC project.
• Involve the target audience actively in the design,
implementation and monitoring of project. Listen to
local language, customs and experiences.
• Establish linkage with traditional healers, local
NGOs and local support groups. Actively involve
them and share their information.
• The interaction between health care providers at all
levels and client (people) is an important element for
successful IEC intervention.

10. • Logos and symbols should be pretested before
launching.
• These should be according to the need and
understanding of the audiences. The use of logos and
symbols in advocacy campaigns has been proved
successful.
• This is the outcome of IEC campaign that Red
Ribbon symbolizes the international struggle around
HIV/AIDS, while the White Ribbon raises awareness
about safer pregnancy and childbirth.
• Only meaningful messages should be used and they
should reach to relevant segments of target population

11. Monitoring and Evaluation of Strategy
• As a part of Management Information System (MIS),
documentation of IEC programme inputs and
experiences is important for knowing the successes
and failure.
• Evaluation of IEC campaign should be considered
from the very beginning, when projects are being
planned and not just after they are underway or
completed. Although evaluation of IEC efforts is a
complex task.
• Inexpensive methods like observation can be used
for monitoring the campaign.

12. Health information
• Definition of Health Information
• Health information is an integral part of the national
health system. It is a basic tool of management and a
key input for the progress of any society.
• A health information system is defined as: “a
mechanism for the collection, processing, analysis
and transmission of information required for
organizing and operating health services, and also for
research and training".

13. Components of a health information system
• The health information system is composed several
related subsystems. :
• (1) Demography and vital events;
• (2) Environmental health statistics;
• (3) Health status: mortality, morbidity, disability
quality of life;
• (4) Health resources: facilities, beds, manpower.
Utilization and non-utilization of health services
attendance, admissions, waiting lists;
• (6) Indices of outcome of medical care; and
• (7) Financial statistics (cost, expenditure) related to
the particular objective.

14. Uses of health information
• To measure the health status of the people and to quantify
their health problems and medical and health care needs;
• For local, national and international comparisons of
health status. For such comparisons the data need to be
subjected to rigorous standardization and quality control
• For planning, administration and effective management of
health services and programmers,
• For assessing whether health services are accomplishing
their objectives in terms of their effectiveness and
efficiency;
• For assessing the attitudes and degree of satisfaction of
the beneficiaries with the health system; and
• For research into particular problems of health and
disease.

15. Health education
• . Health education is the translation of what is known
about health, into desirable individual and community
behavior patterns by means of an educational process

16. Aims and objectives
• The definition adopted by WHO in 1969 and the Alma-
Ata Declaration adopted in 1978 provide a useful basis
for formulating the aims and objectives of health
education, which may be stated as below :
1. To encourage people to adopt and sustain health
promoting lifestyle and practices;
2. To promote the proper use of health services available to
them;
3. To arouse interest, provide new knowledge, improve
skills and change attitudes in making rational decisions to
solve their own problems; and
4. To stimulate individual and community self-reliance and
participation to achieve health development through
individual and community involvement at every step from
identifying problems to solving them.

17. APPROACH TO HEALTH EDUCATION
• Regulatory Approach
• Service approach
• Health education approach
• Primary health care approach.

18. Principles of health education
• Credibility
• Interest
• Participation
• Motivation
• Comprehension
• Motivation
• Reinforcement
• Learning by doing
• Known to unknown
• Setting an example
• Leaders

19. Methods in health education
• Individual approach
• Group approach-Lecture, group
discussion,demonstration,role play, panel
discussion,symposium,conferences and seminars.
• Mass approach-T.V.Radio,
• Internet,Newspapers,Printed materials.
• Direct mailing
• Posters, Health exhibitions and museums and Folk
media.

20. Communication
• Communication can be regarded as a two-way
process of exchanging or shaping ideas, feelings and
information. Broadly it refers "to the countless ways
that humans have of keeping in touch with one
another" .
• Communication is more than mere exchange of
information.
• It is a process necessary to pave way for desired
changes in human behavior, and informed individual
and community participation to achieve
predetermined goals.

21. Communication process
• Communication which is the basis of human
interaction is a complex process. It has the following
main components (Fig. 1) :
• 1. Sender
• 2. Receiver
• 3. Message
• 4. Channel
• 5. Feedback

22. Communication process

23. Types of communication
• One way communication.
• Two way communication.
• Verbal communication.
• Nonverbal communication.
• Formal and informal communication.
• Visual communication.
• Telecommunication.

24. Barriers of communication
• 1. Physiological - difficulties in hearing, expression
• 2. Psychological - emotional disturbances, neurosis,
levels of intelligence, language or comprehension
difficulties.
• 3. Environmental - noise, invisibility, congestion
• 4. Cultural illiteracy, levels of knowledge and
understanding, customs, beliefs, religion, attitudes,
economic and social class differences, language
variations, cultural difficulties between foreigners and
nationals, between urban education and the rural
population.

25. Telemedicine
• Introduction:
• Secondary and tertiary medical expertise is not available
in several areas of the world. Quite often, many patients
are sent elsewhere at considerable expense.
• In a number of these cases the treatment could have been
carried out by the local doctor with advice from a
specialist.
• Even within a country there is a tendency for specialists
to concentrate in the big cities making medical care in
suburban and rural areas sub optimal Using a PC, a
scanner, a digital camera networking, appropriate
software and telecommunications it will be possible to
transfer clinical data from any part of the world to any
other part.

27. • What is Telemedicine?
• Telemedicine is use of telecommunication and
information technologies in order to provide clinical
health care at a distance.
• AIM :
• To deliver specialized medical care and advice with in
reach of patient at distant places
• OBJECTIVES
• To provide specialized medical advice
• To monitor patient condition
• To guide other medical staff about treatment procedure
• Share patient data among institutions for research purpose

29. Specialties:
• Telemedicine covers a growing number of medical
specialties such as:-
• Cardiology.
• Home Care.
• Radiology.
• Emergency Care.
• Surgery.
• Dermatology.
• Psychiatry.
• Oncology.
• Pathology.
• Ophthalmology.

30. • Types Of Telemedicine:
• Telemedicine is practiced on the basis of two
concepts:
• Two way interactive television
• Store and forward

31. • Benefits to patients
• Access to specialized health care services to
under-served rural, semi-urban and remote areas
• Early diagnosis and treatment
• Access to expertise of Medical Specialists
• Reduced physician’s fees and cost of medicine
• Reduced visits to specialty hospitals
• Reduced travel expenses
• Early detection of disease
• Reduced burden of morbidity

32. BARRIERS IN TELEMEDICINE
• Equipment costs
• Connectivity costs
• Physician or patients acceptance
• Remote areas
• Privacy and security issue
• Inadequate communication services

33. • SUPPORT In India, telemedicine programs are being
actively supported by:
• Department of Information Technology (DIT)
• Indian Space Research Organization
• NEC Telemedicine program for North-Eastern states
• Apollo Hospitals
• Asia Heart Foundation
• State governments
• Telemedicine technology also supported by some other
private organizations

34. Summary and conclusion
• The Information, Education & Communication (IEC)
strategy aims to create awareness and disseminate
information regarding the benefits available under
various schemes/ programmes of the Ministry and to
guide the citizens on how to access them.
• The objective is also to encourage build-up of health
seeking behavior among the masses in keeping with
the focus on promotive and preventive health.
• The IEC strategy has catered to the different needs of
the rural and urban masses through the various tools
used for communication.