ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Participants representing rural and regional health care providers, employees, and consumers were involved in a continuing education (CE) conference focused on envisioning tomorrow's health. The 1993 attendees were taught a process of envisioning health care 5 years into the future. The 1993 projected outcomes were reviewed with 1998 realities. METHOD: Continuing education participants (N = 417) generated their design for a healthy future by responding to six story scenarios. Stories (2,502) related to quality of health care were analyzed in a three-step process. RESULTS: Findings from the concept analysis of stories obtained at the 1993 CE conference revealed a conceptual model for a desired health future for 1998, with four major concepts, five goals, and five guiding principles. CONCLUSIONS: Visioning in a CE environment creates valuable direction for an improved health care future. A CE conference provides the seeds and opportunities for dialogue and partnership by people responsible for implementing action plans that potentially would create a healthy community.
Subject(s)
Congresses as Topic/organization & administration , Delivery of Health Care/trends , Education, Nursing, Continuing/organization & administration , Forecasting/methods , Imagination , Models, Organizational , Quality of Health Care , Delivery of Health Care/standards , Health Planning/organization & administration , HumansABSTRACT
The authors describe the use of two strategies for selecting and analyzing issues. These systematic approaches provide a foundation not only for determining and studying issues, but also for implementing resolutions. Use of both processes makes dynamic, meaningful issues courses possible in nursing education.