Creating Process and Policy Change in Healthcare

Abstract

The word “policy” is often bantered about and it is assumed that everyone has or uses a fundamental definition for policy and hence, policy development. In broad terms, policy can refer simply to a “plan of action” or “statement of aims or goals.” However defined, it is then difficult to interpret who is involved in policy planning and what are the key functions of policy development, policy implementation and subsequent evaluation. To better understand some of these nuances, William Jenkins defines policy as a set of incremental decisions taken by a political figure or group regarding the prioritization of goals and the means to achieve these goals. James Anderson describes public policy as a purposive course of action aimed at dealing with a problem identified by the government. These begin to capture some of the key elements of public policymaking and the inherent link to government as a key player in policy development and implementation.