Rapid Appraisal and Health Policy

Rapid Appraisal is a valuable approach to needs assessment, bringing together decision makers and communities. In the current climate of resource constraints in the public sector, it is an important asset to focusing priorities. It is a flexible and practical methodology that can be applied to a wide range of health care settings in both the developed and developing world. The author clearly demonstrates the link between Rapid Appraisal methodology and contemporary theoretical health policy debates and has also provided practical guidance on implementation, and up-to-date examples of Rapid Appraisal in action, in a variety of settings. The book provides links between this area of action research and: -defining and involving communities;-change and sustainability;-empowerment;-priority setting and resource allocation, and each chapter provides a practical approach to addressing such key questions.