Community diagnosis involves identifying and quantifying health problems in a community through data collection and analysis. It aims to understand factors influencing community health, highlight available resources, and identify local health priorities to improve health status. The process involves initiating a project, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, diagnosing the community's health status and determinants, and disseminating findings to stakeholders and the public. Challenges can include communities prioritizing other issues over real health problems and rushing conclusions without proper understanding. Regular assessment allows health programs to continuously adapt to community needs.

1. COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS AND
PHARMACEUTICAL NEED
ASSESSMENT
AYO NELSON
CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR
LIRA INSTTITUTE OF HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
EMAIL: ayonelson617@gmailo.com

2. INTRODUCTION
• Definitions
1. Community
• A community is a group of people living within a specified
geographic area, with a common characteristic/interest(s).
• Community members usually know and interact with each other.
• Most definitions of community must include the three dimensions of
people, place and function.

3. INTRODUCTION
2. Community diagnosis
• Community diagnosis generally refers to the identification and
quantification of health problems in a community as a whole- in
terms of mortality and morbidity rates, and identification of
associated factors for the purpose of defining those at risk or those
in need of health care.
3. Clinical Diagnosis- refers to the study of a patient by a trained
physician (medical Dr or Clinician) to identify presence or absence of
disease.

4. INTRODUCTION
• Community diagnosis usually highlight the factors influencing the
health of the community both positively and negatively
• It should be able to highlight available resources including man power,
materials and time for combating the health problem
• In community diagnosis for example may realize that children are
suffering from viral infection then actions are taken to solve it
• Community diagnosis will point where health system should put main
effort and resources, community diagnosis highlight local priorities
• In summary, it identifies problems, proposes areas for improvement
and stimulates actions

5. Types of information necessary for
community diagnosis
• What is the commonest disease seen in the patients?
• What is the distribution of comment disease in the area?
• What disease has been epidemic in the area?
• What disease are community concerned about?
• What are the most important local health problem?

6. OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNITY
DIAGNOSIS IN HEALTH CARE
• Analyze health status
• Evaluate health resources, services and system of care
• Assess attitudes toward community health services and issues
• Identify priorities, establish goals and determine courses of action to
improve health status
• Establish epidemiologic baseline for measuring over time

7. IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY
DIAGNOSIS
• It helps to find the common problems or disease which are
troublesome to the people and are easily preventable in the community
• It is a tool to disclose hidden problems that are not visible to
community health
• It helps to identify the group of people at risk of the health problem in
the community
• It help to access group of underprivileged people who are unable to
use the available facility due to poverty, prevailing discrimination or
other reasons
• It ensures that decisions are made based on solid information and
knowledge
• Helps to impart knowledge and attitudes to turn over people problems
toward the light of solution

8. Importance ….
• Provides overall picture of the local community health problem
• Suggest priority areas for intervention and feasible solutions
• Indicate the resource allocation and direction of work plan
• Create opportunity for Intersectoral collaboration
• Form basis of setting indicators for health care practice evaluation
• Provide data that act as reference for the district

9. PROCESS OF COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS
How to conduct community diagnosis?
• The process of community diagnosis involves four stages:
• 1. Initiation
• 2. Data collection and analysis
• 3. Diagnosis
• 4. Dissemination

10. 1. Initiation
• In order to initiate a community diagnosis project, a dedicated committee
or working group should be set up to manage and coordinate the project.
The committee should involve relevant parties such as government
departments, health professionals and non-governmental organizations.
• At an early stage, it is important to identify the available budget and
resources to determine the scope of the diagnosis. Some of the common
areas to be studied may include health status, lifestyles, socioeconomic
conditions, physical and social infrastructure, inequalities, as well as public
health services and policies.
• Once the scope is defined, a working schedule to conduct the community
diagnosis, production and dissemination of report should be set.

11. 2. Data collection and analysis
• The project should collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Population Census and statistical data e.g. population size, sex and age structure,
medical services, social services, education, housing, public etc. can provide
background of the district.
• As for the community data, it can be collected by conducting surveys through
self-administered questionnaires, face to face interviews, focus groups and
telephone interviews.
• In order to ensure reliability of the findings, an experienced organization such as
an academic institute can be employed for conducting the study.
• The sampling method should be carefully designed and the sample size should be
large enough to provide sufficient data to draw reliable conclusions. Therefore,
study results derived can truly review the local community.
• Collected data can then be analyzed and interpreted by experts

12. Practical tips on data analysis and
presentation:
• Statistical information is best presented as rates or ratios for
comparison
• Trends and projections are useful for monitoring changes over a time
period for future planning
• Local district data can be compared with other districts or the whole
population
• Graphical presentation is preferred for easy understanding

13. 3. Diagnosis
• Diagnosis of the community is reached from conclusions drawn from
the data analysis. It should preferably comprise three areas:
• Health status of the community
• Determinants of health in the community
• Potential for healthy living

14. 4. Dissemination
• The production of the community diagnosis report is not an end in itself,
efforts should be put into communication to ensure that targeted actions
are taken.
• The target audience for the community diagnosis includes policy-
makers, health professionals and the general public in the community.
• The report can be disseminated through the following channels: -
• Presentations at meetings of the health boards and committees, or forums
organized for voluntary organizations, local community groups and the
general public
• Press release
• Thematic events (such as health fairs and other health promotion
programme)

15. Difficulties experienced in community
diagnosis
• Community may be concerned about other problem than being
concerned with the real health problem
• Health workers may tend to be taken away by what community wants
than concentrating on the main problem
• Rushing into conclusion before understanding and commitment and
the program and the program may be unsuccessful.

16. Summary
• It is important to realize that Community Diagnosis is not an one-off
project, but is part of a dynamic process leading to health promotion in
the community.
• Therefore community diagnosis should be conducted at regular
intervals to allow the Health Care Programs be continuously
improved.

17. Health indicators
• Community Diagnosis is done using a tool called "Health Indicators"
which are the variables used for the assessment of community health.
• Indicators must be: valid, reliable, sensitive, specific, feasible and
relevant.

18. Health indicators can be classified as
• Mortality indicators
• Morbidity indicators
• Disability rates
• Nutritional status indicators
• Health care delivery indicators
• Utilization rates
• Indicators of social and mental health
• Environmental indicators
• Socio-economic indicators
• Health policy indicators
• Indicators of quality of life
• Other indicators

19. How county can evaluate their PHC system
• Access to services
• Continuity of services
• Coordination of delivery
• Comprehensivess of the health system
• Financing to the primary health care

20. Assignment
Question 1
• During community assessment, it was found that majority of home
state lack pit latrines, had buses around homes, most of children under
1 years are malnourished and were not immunized according to
immunization schedule, most of the homes could only afford one meal
a day
a) What is community assessment?
b) Explain steps considered while carrying out community assessment
c) Formulate three actual and potential diagnosis for above community
assessment
d) Explain how you would manage the above health problem basing on
your diagnosis

21. Assignment
2. Discuss gender roles of women and men in your community in
relation to health
3. Outline 10 ways in which culture can affect health of the community
4. What factors would you consider while choosing community/village
health workers
5. What is community diagnosis
6. Describe how you would diagnose a community problem
7. Classify and give all the examples of health indicators used in
community diagnosis