Identifying Different Types of Plans

TYPES OF PLANS
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Types of Plan
               Policy plays an important role in healthcare, especially by improving health and promoting equity. According to Porche (2019, p.1), a policy can be described as the strategies utilised by healthcare professionals to bring change in communities and society in general. Goals must be set for policy to be effectively formulated and implemented. Also, Milstead and Short (2019, p.1) describe a policy as a course of action that has been intentionally selected to address an issue. A policy can be a law, regulation, procedure, rule or administrative action, among others. To successfully deliver health policy with the desired outcomes, it is important to ensure that all activities are planned. This paper examines different types of plans and how they can be applied in the emergency department (ED) by physicians to add value. Specifically, this paper will examine strategic, tactical, and operational plans as the main types of plans.
Strategic Plan
               A strategic plan looks at the bigger picture. It usually focuses on the long-term goals and decisions the span up to five or more years (Kahraman & Topcu 2018, p.469). Thus, one can say that a strategic plan provides healthcare organisations and systems with steps that can be followed to move from the current position to a better future position that is well-aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the organisation. According to Swain et al. (2020, p.418), a strategy focuses on actions. Therefore, a strategic plan must focus on choosing specific courses of actions that are aligned with the established long-term goals and objectives. A strategic plan must also identify the available resources and outline how they will be allocated to achieve the desired goals. In population and public health, a strategic plan can play a major role in addressing some of the major health issues affecting a population. Because such a plan is action-focused and future-oriented, it allows healthcare professionals and policymakers to take long-term actions to promote healthcare changes.
               To promote population health through policy, strategic planning allows stakeholders to identify the health needs of the population and understand the various interventions that can be used to address those needs (Phelps et al. 2016, p.112). This is the first step of a strategic plan. It allows for specific and targeted action to be taken. For instance, the Indian government was able to achieve significant improvement in the number of immunised children after it identified that most children in the country were not vaccinated. Thus, a strategic plan was laid out in 2014 to help achieve full immunisation by 2020 (Swain et al. 2020, p.419). The plan targeted children who had not been immunised and a lot of political support, as well as sustainable funding, were provided. Actions taken included mobilization as well as collaboration among different government ministriesthat targeted low immunisation coverage areas in the country. This strategic plan helped implement a s...