PRIORITIZING

HEALTH PROBLEMS
A LECTURETTE ON NCM 104B: COMMUNITY NURSING 1
(INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY AS CLIENTS)

JAN MAVERICK S. RABINO, RN

LECTURER

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PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

After the assessment phase, the nurse may

realize that the family is faced with a
number of health and nursing problems
which cannot be taken up all at the same
time considering the available resources of both
the family and the nurse.
PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Considering the situation, she may rank the

identified problems into priorities. Bailon and
Maglaya (1990) devised a tool called Scale
for Ranking Family Health Problem
According to Priorities.
PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

This tool aims to objectivize priority setting. There are

four criteria for determining priorities among
health problems. These include:

Nature of Problem Presented

Modifiability of the Problem
Preventive Potential
Salience
 PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Nature of Problem Presented

-categorized into health threat, health
deficit and foreseeable crisis;

Preventive Potential Modifiability of the Problem Salience

 PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Modifiability of the Problem

refers to the probability of success in
minimizing, alleviating or totally
eradicating the problem through
intervention

Preventive Potential Nature of Problem Presented Salience

 PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Preventive Potential
refers to the nature and magnitude of future
problems that can be minimized or totally
prevented if intervention is
done on the problem under
consideration

Modifiability of the Problem Nature of Problem Presented Salience

 PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

Salience
refers to the family's perception
and evaluation of the problem in
terms of seriousness and urgency of
attention needed.

Modifiability of the Problem Nature of Problem Presented Preventive Potential

PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

This tool aims to objectivize priority setting. There are

four criteria for determining priorities among
health problems. These include:

Nature of Problem Presented

Modifiability of the Problem
Preventive Potential
Salience
PRIORITIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS

WHY USE THE SCALE?

The arithmetic computations utilized in the scale
can guide the students or new practitioners who
still need to gain the skill in deciding which factors have
more weight over others.

The computations help systematize priority

setting by determining a specific score for each
problem on the list The nurse considers several
factors in order to objectivize the
decision- making process in setting priorities
HOW WILL I DECIDE ON WHAT
TO SCORE FOR EACH
CRITERIA?
FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

Greater weight is assigned to a health deficit over a health

threat because the a health deficit usually demands more
immediate intervention and is usually recognized or felt by
the patient.

Foreseeable crisis is given the least weight because culture-

linked variables/factors usually provide our client population with
adequate support to cope with developmental or
situational crisis.
 FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

The nurse considers the availability of the following factors in

determining the modifiability of a health problem:

1. Current knowledge, technology and interventions to

manage the problem
2. Resources of the family-physical, financial and manpower
3. Resources of the nurse-knowledge, skills and time
4. Resources of the community-facilities and community
organization or Support
 FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

To decide on an appropriate score for the preventive

potential of a health problem, the following factors are
considered:
. Gravity or severity of the problem- refers to the
Progress of the disease/problem indicating extent of
damage on the patient/family; also indicates prognosis,
reversibility or modifiability of the problem. In general, the more
severe or advanced the problem is, the lower is the
preventive potential of the problem.
FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

2. Duration of the problem- refers to the length of time

the problem has been existing. Duration of
the problem has a direct relationship to gravity;
the nature of the problem is a variable that may,
however, alter this relationship.

Because of this relationship to gravity of the problem,

duration has also a direct relationship to
preventive potential
FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

3. Current Management- refers to the presence

and appropriateness of intervention measures
instituted to remedy the problem. The institution
of appropriate intervention increases the problem’s
preventive potential

4. Exposure of any high risk group- increases the

preventive Potential of a problem
FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY-SETTING

To determine the score for salience, the nurse

evaluates the family's perception of a problem. As a
general rule, the family's concerns and felt needs
require priority attention.
SCORING
After the score for each criterion has been
decided on, the number is divided by the
highest possibte score in the scale.
The quotient is multiplied by the weight
indicated for the criterion being
considered.
Then the sum of the scores for all the
criteria is taken.
SCORING
The highest score is five (5),
equivalent of the total weight.

The nurse considers as priority

problems those whose total scores
are nearer five (5).

Thus, the higher the score of a given

problem, the more likely it is taken as a
priority. With the available scores, the
nurse then ranks health problems accordingly.
 PRIORITIZING
HEALTH PROBLEMS
A LECTURETTE ON NCM 104B: COMMUNITY NURSING 1
(INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY AS CLIENTS)

JAN MAVERICK S. RABINO, RN

LECTURER

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