[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Family and community nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/community/) › Planning a community health programme: needs, priorities, objectives and the logic model

# Planning a community health programme: needs, priorities, objectives and the logic model

- Safe practice

Planning a programme means turning community data into priorities, clear objectives and a logic model that links resources to results.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Assess needs and assets → community diagnosis → priorities → objectives → interventions → evaluation plan.
- A community diagnosis states the problem, the population affected, the effects and the local indicators.
- SMART objectives: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.
- Logic model: inputs → activities → outputs → short-term, intermediate and long-term outcomes.
- Involve the target population from the needs assessment onward.

## What it is

A community health programme starts with an assessment of needs and assets, becomes a community diagnosis and then a plan with goals, measurable objectives, evidence-based interventions and a way to evaluate them. A logic model is a one-page picture of how the programme's resources and activities are expected to lead to results. In Colombia, territorial plans and the PIC are formulated from the health situation analysis (ASIS) with social and community participation, and basic health teams prioritise micro-territories by need. The nurse takes part in every phase, from collecting data to agreeing the plan with the community.

## What it requires

- Inputs are the resources needed: staff, funds, equipment, data and partnerships.
- Outputs are the direct products of activities, such as the number of people screened or trained.
- Longer-term outcomes are harder to attribute to one programme than short-term ones.
- Interventions may be clinical, behavioural or environmental, and should be based on evidence.
- In Colombia, the PIC annex sets out territories, population, expected results, goals by setting, teams and indicators (Res. 1597 of 2025, art. 11).

## How it is applied (and why)

- Gather existing data first (ASIS, records), then collect what is missing — reuse saves time and avoids asking twice.
- Write the community diagnosis: problem, population, effects, indicators — a clear problem guides everything else.
- Set priorities with the community and explicit criteria such as burden, gaps and risk — shared priorities get shared support.
- Define a goal and SMART objectives with a deadline — what is not measurable cannot be evaluated.
- Choose evidence-based interventions by level of prevention and type — effort goes to what has worked elsewhere.
- Draw the logic model from inputs to long-term outcomes — it shows the theory of change and the weak links.
- Assign people, settings, schedule and budget — a plan without owners does not start.
- Plan the evaluation now: indicators, data sources and dates — baseline data are lost if collected late.
- Validate the plan with the community and align it with the territorial health plan — fit with local plans gives it funding and continuity.

## Logic model, fictional example: hypertension control in a rural micro-territory

| Inputs | Activities | Outputs | Outcomes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Basic health team, sphygmomanometers, transport | Home visits with blood pressure measurement | Number of adults measured | Short term: people with high readings referred |
| Community leader, meeting space | Group health education sessions | Number of sessions and participants | Intermediate: more people attending their control visits |
| Agreement with the primary health facility | Referral with follow-up of effective access | Number of effective referrals | Long term: more people with controlled blood pressure |

## In nursing practice

- Use the criteria MinSalud names for micro-territories as a model: poverty, child malnutrition, maternal and infant deaths, adolescent pregnancy, hypertension, obesity and dengue.
- Prefer a few clear objectives over a long list of activities.
- Write the assumptions of the logic model and check them during implementation.
- Plan the programme with the cultural and territorial context of the population.

## Common mistakes

- Starting with the activity (a health fair) instead of the problem.
- Confusing outputs (people trained) with outcomes (behaviour or health change).
- Writing objectives without a number or a deadline.
- Leaving the evaluation plan for the end, without baseline data.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What four elements does a community diagnosis include?

The problem, the population affected, the effects on that population and the local indicators of the problem.

## In a logic model, is «number of people trained» an output or an outcome?

An output: a direct product of the activity. An outcome is a change in knowledge, behaviour or health.

## What does SMART stand for in objectives?

Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.

## From what analysis do Colombian territories formulate the PIC?

From the health situation analysis (ASIS), with social and community participation (Res. 1597 of 2025, art. 11).

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/planning-a-community-health-programme-needs-priorities-objectives-and-the-logic/)

## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia

- [The Ten-Year Public Health Plan](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/the-ten-year-public-health-plan/)

## Connections

## Related 3

- [Community assessment and diagnosis: data, participation and priorities](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/community-assessment-and-diagnosis-data-participation-and-priorities/)
- [Evaluating a health programme: structure, process and outcome; formative and summative evaluation](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/evaluating-a-health-programme-structure-process-and-outcome-formative-and-summat/)
- [Planning care: priorities, measurable goals and interventions](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/planning-care-priorities-measurable-goals-and-interventions/)

[← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/)

Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.

Sources: [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 16.3 Applying the Nursing Process to Community Health (Open RN, CC BY 4.0)](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/16%3A_Community_Assessment/16.03%3A_Applying_the_Nursing_Process_to_Community_Health) (Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) / LibreTexts, 2022); [CDC Program Evaluation Framework, 2024 (MMWR Recommendations and Reports 73(6))](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/rr/rr7306a1.htm) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024); [Resolución 1597 de 2025 (art. 11: formulación del Plan de Salud Pública de Intervenciones Colectivas)](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/resolucion-1597-de-2025.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, Colombia, 2025); [Lineamientos para la organización y operación de los Equipos Básicos de Salud (Resolución 2788 de 2022): priorización de microterritorios](https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/VS/PP/lineamientos-operacion-equipos-basicos-salud-resolucion-2788-2022.pdf) (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, Colombia, 2023).

## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

---
Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/planning-a-community-health-programme-needs-priorities-objectives-and-the-logic/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/planning-a-community-health-programme-needs-priorities-objectives-and-the-logic/