Participatory Diagnosis: A Methodology To Identify Felt Needs In Communities In Chile

Abstract

In Chile, the educational approach on public health issues is addressed by taking into account the perspective of professionals based purely on epidemiological data with no consideration for the needs felt by the community. This results in health policies that do not satisfy the real sanitary demands of the users. In the light of the aforementioned, it is important to consider the community as the protagonist in the decision making pertained to the educational content provided by experts as this will affect their self-care behaviors. Objective. To identify and compare the felt needs amongst community groups in Santiago de Chile. Methods. Through a participatory diagnosis, the health education needs of community groups belonging to four municipalities of the Metropolitan Region were identified. This activity was led by fifth year Nursing students of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in March 2018. Results: The participants expressed their felt needs and identified the main topics of interest in health, which were divided into first aids: CPR, Heimlich maneuver; and healthy habits: eating and anxiety and stress management. Discussion. The importance of user participation in the decision making of the addressed contents and how this positively affects community empowerment and ultimately change in health behavior is demonstrated. Conclusion. Based on the results obtained in each of the community groups similarity was found in the felt needs, framing them in a context of self-care, despite the epidemiological differences of the communities.