C. Design the Program
Designing an oral health program involves several
steps. While working through these steps, it is important to
consider resources
including funding sources, existing programs, policies, facility
location, internal and external partners, equipment, and the
work force.
1. Identify Desired Outcomes
Once priorities have
been established, the next step is to consider how they will
be addressed. It may be useful to
determine the terms
to be used and then to ensure that everyone shares a common
understanding of the meaning of these terms. The following
table identifies
some commonly used planning terms.
Choose a Common Planning Language |
| Column A |
Column B |
Column C |
| A condition of well-being for children, families, or communities |
A measure for which data are available, which quantifies
the achievement |
A measure of effectiveness of agency or program service delivery |
Result
Outcome
Goal
Impact
Objective |
Indicator
Benchmark
Milestone
Objective |
Performance measure
Implementation measure
Impact measure
Program measure |
Regardless of which terms are used, it is essential
to work through and obtain agreement on desired goals with regard
to the goal’s
priority, the outcomes that must be achieved to meet the goal,
what interventions or activities are needed to achieve outcomes,
and how to measure the effectiveness of activities and evaluate
achievement of outcomes. Objectives or outcomes must be specific,
measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely.
|
