Applying Participatory Approaches in Public Health Settings

This course specifically explores approaches and tools and how to apply them in public health settings. Students will learn how to critically analyse the power dynamics present between multidisciplinary stakeholders and appreciate the need for reciprocity between those delivering and those receiving health care; between both those conducting and those participating in research. They will also learn how to select and evaluate different participatory approaches to apply these to public health programmes and/or research. Tools with which to do this include undertaking a stakeholder-mapping exercise and needs assessment, including a critical and reasoned narrative to justify the approach. While this course, as with the rest of the specialisation, focuses on public health and ways of involving citizens and patients in programmes and research, these concepts apply to other disciplines too. So, you don't have to be a public health specialist or work in healthcare to gain insight from this course. If you would like to learn more about the theories and core principles of participation within a public health context, we suggest taking Introduction to Participatory Approaches in Public Health. If you're planning a research project and want to learn more about participation in resaerchs, explore our course Public Involvement in Research.

• How can Participatory Approaches Be Applied to Public Health Practice?
• Welcome to Module 1! In Lesson 1, you will learn more about how participatory approaches can be applied to public health practices. In Lesson 2, you will explore the different tools that can be used to help define a public health problem. After learning about stakeholder analysis, you will be doing your first summative assessment, which is a peer review on stakeholder analysis.
• How to Choose Methods and Tools for Using Participatory Approaches
• Welcome to Module 2! In Lesson 1, you will first be given an overview of commonly used tools of participatory approaches, such as the Action Catalogue. You will engage in an E-tivity in which you have to choose a participatory approach to strengthen surveillance. Afterwards, you will be introduced to the concepts of stakeholders and actors, and dive into the details of stakeholder analysis.
• Application of Participatory Approaches in the Four Domains of Public Health: Part 1
• Welcome to Module 3! In this module, you will explore how participatory approaches can apply to public health practices in the areas of health improvement and health services. However, as you explore the case studies presented, do note that many examples could fall into multiple domains. It will also be important to critically reflect on how successful the tools mentioned were in promoting meaningful participation.
• Application of Participatory Approaches in the Four Domains of Public Health: Part 2
• Welcome to Module 4! In this module, you will explore how participatory approaches can apply to public health practices in the areas of health protection and health intelligence. As you explore the case studies presented, do note that many examples could fall into multiple domains. It will also be important to critically reflect on how successful the tools mentioned were in promoting meaningful participation.
• What Are the Common Challenges in Using Participatory Approaches?
• Welcome to Module 5! In Lesson 1, you will hear about the challenges of using participatory approaches. You will discuss the challenges that were and were not mentioned. In Lesson 2, you will explore some specific challenges in utilising participatory approaches, specifically co-production, participatory action research, and evaluation. You will then engage in a discussion about the ways that these challenges can be resolved.