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School of Public Health
Page content: About CDIH | CDIH History | CDIH Publications About the Centre for Development and Innovation in Health The Centre for Development and Innovation in Health (CDIH) operates as a research, consultancy and policy analysis agency with a broad scope across the health system nationally. Our specialisations are in primary health care, community development, public health, women's health and health promotion. While our policy and research work and our publications have a national focus, our consultancy and professional development activities are usually confined to Victoria. This web site is a repository for CDIH publications from 1988 to 2000. More information regarding current
staff and projects of CDIH CDIH started in 1986 as the "Community Development in Health project" of the Preston/Northcote District Health Council. In 1993, CDIH changed its name to the Centre for Development and Innovation in Health (still CDIH), and, with the demise of the District Health Council, became an independent, not-for-profit, incorporated association. The CDIH project was established to:
The CDIH project argued that the community development approach provided a framework for addressing health and medical issues in a social context. In practice, community development in health means working in a way which empowers and builds consensus within the community. A community development approach involves the community in planning, managing and evaluating projects. The approach deals with the identified health issue in its social context. In the late 1980s, CDIH produced Australia's leading Resources Collection in the area of community development in health. In addition, CDIH promoted community development as a credible and effective strategy in the context of Health for All and the National Better Health Program. In the early 90s, CDIH undertook a series of projects and activities promoting community development and primary health care approaches in the fields of community health and women's health. A series of books and reports have been published by CDIH around these issues. In 1993, CDIH changed its name to the Centre for Development and Innovation in Health as being more expressive of the range of social health projects and issues the organisation is interested in. In particular, CDIH now has a strong focus on supporting health and community organisations to adopt a primary health care approach to their work. In 1998, after 12 years as an independent, non-Government organisation, CDIH decided to join La Trobe University in the establishment of a new organisation known as the Australian Institute of Primary Care. The Australian Institute of Primary Care
is a research unit of La Trobe University’s Faculty of Health
Sciences. The Institute aims to promote a social model of health and
to promote quality improvement in all areas of primary care services.
The Institute of Primary Care brings together CDIH, the Centre for
Quality in Health and Community Services and the Lincoln Centre for
Ageing and Community Care Research. It also publishes the Australian
Journal of Primary Health, an interdisciplinary refereed journal designed
to publish articles on a range of issues pertinent to primary health
care and community health.
Case study collections Case Studies of Community Development in Health This collection of sixteen case studies was a result of the Reflections Project undertaken by CDIH in 1991-92. The Reflections project aimed to encourage critical reflection in community development through the documentation and circulation of case studies. A framework of community development involving seven elements was used to select sixteen case studies for publication from the larger number collected for the Reflections project. These include: community control of decision making community involvement in action; development of community culture; organisational development; learning; concrete benefit; and new power relationships. Click on the title above to download the full document (PDF, 7.66MB) or individual chapters. Australian Case Studies in Community Development 1972-1992: an Annotated Bibliography (PDF, 7.87MB) This book is a tool designed to assist in planning, evaluating and reflecting on initiatives in community development, particularly in the health arena. The bibliography contains abstracts of two hundred and twenty-five articles which describe and analyse projects carried out in a range of settings across Australia since 1972. It was compiled as part of the Reflections Project carried out by Community Development in Health (CDIH) in 1991-92. The aim of the project was to improve the quality of health promotion in the community health field by developing the capacity of the field to develop and disseminate reflective case studies. The bibliography builds on an earlier and smaller collection of published case studies included in CDIH's Resources Collection (CDIH, 1988). Innovation and Excellence in Community Health (PDF, 5.24MB) This book is a record of the 13 projects which won the first Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Community Health. The Awards project was organised by CDIH and the Victorian Community Health Association. This project was intended to highlight the best of the sector's work. Organisations were invited to nominate projects they had worked on which they felt were innovative and excellent. Projects were called for in each of the following categories: health promotion; community participation; group work; action research; women's health; young person's health; health of people with disabilities; community development; direct care; planning and evaluation; Koori health; health of people from non-English speaking backgrounds; and older person's health. Taken together, the thirteen winning projects show that despite the difficulties of a rapidly changing environment and reduced funding, the community health sector is still managing to respond in innovative ways to health issues. These projects are inspirational in the way they display workers and agencies tackling the most difficult issues facing primary health (eg. child sexual abuse, homelessness, teenage parenthood, domestic violence). Towards Best Practice in Primary Health Care (PDF, 8.02MB) This collection of 185 case studies of
primary health care was brought together as a first step towards identifying
the conditions for best practice in primary health care and "benchmarking"
the ways in which primary health care agencies are striving to achieve best practice. The case studies, all of which have been published
or distributed previously, provide a snapshot of primary health care
in action in Australia in the 1990s. They come from a wide breadth
of agencies (private, public, non-government and community-based),
and they involve an equally wide range of people and professions.
The topics and strategies are no less impressive in their breadth,
covering health issues from asthma to homelessness and working with
all manner of groups in the community. National Consortium Beacons for Change Project (Powerpoint file: 50KB) This conference presentation provides a brief overview of the Beacons for Change project, a national project which focused on organisational change in primary health care. Beacons for Change included four separate but related projects (three local projects and one national project) undertaken by a consortium of health care agencies in partnership. NOTE: Much of the content of this presentation is in the Notes pages. To view the notes pages either download and open in Powerpoint or select Edit Slides in the Edit Menu in your browser. Best practice in primary health care (PDF, 1.12MB) Abstract: The purpose of the work reported here was to delineate the strategies of practice which are associated with excellent outcomes in contemporary primary health care in Australia, and to provide wider access to exemplary and illustrative cases. One hundred and eighty five published accounts of primary health care practice were collected and abstracted. Ninety nine of these cases were evaluated, each by a panel of two or three reviewers, and the 25 most highly rated cases were studied in more detail through interviews with the authors and other protagonists. Eight broad strategies of primary health care practice were identified which appeared to have contributed to excellent outcomes in the cases studied: consumer and community involvement; collaborative local networking; strong vertical partnerships; intersectoral collaboration; integration of the macro and micro; organisational learning; policy participation; and good management. Some of the finer elements of practice which are encompassed by each of these broad strategies and some of the dynamics through which they appear to contribute to good outcomes are delineated. Illustrative cases are cited which might serve as benchmarks to inspire and guide the wider pursuit of excellence in primary health care. Best practice in women's health: outcomes, processes and pre-conditions (PDF, 782KB) Abstract: The pre-conditions, processes and outcomes associated with best practice in women's health at the primary health care level are discussed. The paper draws on a study which identified projects that exemplified best practice in relation to: collaboration with consumers and communities; the adoption of a social model of health; the collaboration between providers at different levels of the health system and government; and addressing immediate health needs in a way which recognises the underlying conditions which cause ill health. The methodology involved identifying 187 recently published and documented episodes of primary health care practice. Using ratings and reports from 90 experienced referees from around Australia, the 187 case studies were reduced to 25 which the referees agreed represented 'best practice'. A more detailed investigation of these 25 studies was undertaken to determine what structures contributed to good processes and outcomes. Of these, eight were women's health projects, with six undertaken by women's health services in Victoria. The paper outlines the kinds of outcomes, processes and pre-conditions which are associated with best practice as illustrated by one of the Victorian women's health projects. The findings from this research project provided practical, informative and useful models of best practice which can be of assistance to women, health workers, policy makers and government. Addressing inequalities through primary health care: principles of effective practice (PowerPoint file, 341KB) This presentation provides a summary of the research project 'Macro Micro Integration in Primary Health Care'. This project explored the difficulties in primary health care (PHC) and community development in health (CD) using 'Micro Macro Integration' (MMI) as an alternative analytic framework. MMI refers to the integration of analyses, objectives and strategies derived at different levels (of scale and of term) within a coherent program of activities. The purpose of the research was to identify styles of practice (both personal and organisational) that will assist PHC practitioners (and managers, planners and policy makers) in developing and implementing PHC programs which will more effectively address inequalities in health. Sixteen case studies of primary health care practice were analysed in terms of the degree of micro macro integration and the factors affecting micro macro integration (factors related to project design and organisational context; organisational culture and traditions; and individual styles of practice). The project's conclusions are presented as principles for policy and program management, principles for project design and management and training priorities for effective practice. Community Development in Health: A Resources Collection This publication is a collection of resource materials for community workers in health. It was developed to contribute to a greater understanding of the theory and to strengthen the practice of community development work in health. The collection includes: a discussion paper on health and illness in a social context and the role of community development; discussion papers on planning, evaluation, research and accountability; a booklet of six Australian case studies which document recent community development projects; an annotated bibliography and reading guide; a directory of resources; documentation of a peer support group in community development; and a paper which discusses community development approaches to health. Click on the title above to download the full document (PDF, 84.62MB) or separate chapters. Peer Support in Community Development (PDF, 26.54MB) This report forms part of the Resources Collection (CDIH, 1988). It describes a process to form a peer support and skill development group for workers involved in community development activities. It records the development of a small group of health workers whose common experience was their attempt to apply community development principles in the health field. The group included social workers, community workers, a tenant worker and a doctor. Within their group these workers explored the concepts of community development, shared the concerns and difficulties they were experiencing in their work, and sought and gave mutual support. Strengthening Community Health (PDF, 849KB) This is the report of the 'Consultancy and Evaluation Project' undertaken by the Community Development in Health Project in collaboration with five community health centres and with the support of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. The project had two aims. The first aim was to clarify the kind of strengthening needed by community health (especially in relation to community development) in order for it to play a more strategic role in health promotion. This need was assessed through working in depth with five community health centres and in the course of providing one-off development and training workshops with 24 community health organisations. The second aim was to evaluate the usefulness of the CDIH approach, its acceptability to, and the potential demand from the community health field. This was carried out through evaluating the consultancy and support service provided and reviewing the framework with which CDIH works. The report includes information about the background to the project (including a discussion of the broader strategic context); a brief overview of the consultancy and workshop program; and a detailed discussion of the evaluation strategy. Findings are presented as a general analysis of the main themes of CDIH's work with each community health centre and in the workshops. The report concludes with reflections on: CDIH's practice; the contribution of CDIH to the work of its partners; CDIH's approach to community development in health; community health in Victoria; and the need within the community health field for more deliberate support in the application of community development principles. Community Development in Health for All (PDF, 10.37MB) This is a report of a two day workshop held in Melbourne from 12-14 July 1989. The workshop was organised by the Melbourne-based Community Development in Health Project with assistance from the Commonwealth Department of Community Services and Health, the Health Department Victoria and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. The purpose of the workshop was to: promote continuing discussion and reflection around community development in health; strengthen the national linkages among people in community health who are using a community development approach in their work; continue the documentation of and reflection upon case studies of community development in health practice; and define the potential role of community development in addressing the five National Better Health Priorities (improved nutrition, control of high blood pressure, improving the health of older people, improved injury prevention and cancer prevention). The Proceedings document the three plenary sessions, eight syndicate groups, six small group workshops and six case study sessions held during the workshop. Best Practice in Primary Health Care (PDF, 4.91MB) This is the report of a research project which sought to delineate the strategies of practice which are associated with excellent outcomes in contemporary primary health care in Australia, and to provide wider access to exemplary and illustrative cases. One hundred and eighty five published accounts of primary health care practice were collected and abstracted. Ninety-nine of these cases were evaluated, each by a panel of two or three reviewers, and the 25 most highly rated cases were studied in more detail through interviews with the authors and other protagonists. The data were analysed in terms of the pre-conditions, processes and outcomes associated with best practice in primary health care. The report includes recommendations for strengthening primary health care in Australia. Copies of this report can be ordered from CDIH Mapping the Models: The Women's Health Services Program in Victoria (PDF, 32.16MB) This report was prepared by Women's Health Around Victoria (WHAV), the network of Women's Health Services, to record the development and first five years of operation of the Victorian Women's Health Services Program. It was produced with a number of purposes in mind. It aims to record the approaches to service delivery that have been pioneered by the program as well as the practice, wisdom and skills which have been acquired along the way. In this way it will assist other health and related services wishing to better meet the needs of women, and serve as an educational resource for students and teaching staff involved in post secondary courses in the health and welfare sectors. Second, the document explains the ways in which the program works, why it exists, and what it does. This helps to build the mutual understanding on which cooperative relationships in the women's health filed depends. The report is also intended to be useful to people in the community who want to learn more about the program, and to serve as an historical record of the development and early achievements of the program. The report explores the history and context of the Victorian Women's Health Services Program and uses case studies of particular projects undertaken by Women's Health Services to illustrate the program and describe some of its key themes and approaches. Evaluation Framework: Women's Health Services and Centres Against Sexual Assault (PDF, 15.01MB) This manual is designed to be used by workers in women's health services to enhance, develop and systematise their evaluative activities. It is one of the products of the Women's Health Services and Centres Against Sexual Assault Evaluation Framework Project which was auspiced by Healthsharing Women and undertaken by CDIH. The project grew out of the services' increasing need to evaluate and the absence of relevant resources, skills and experience related to evaluation. The project phases included extensive consultation, development and piloting of a draft Evaluation Framework and the production of this manual. The manual is organised into four sections. Section 1: Before you begin gives an overview of the evaluation process. Section 2: The evaluation framework describes the framework in a series of simple steps. Section 3: Case studies provides three case studies of evaluations. Section 4: Appendices contains references, glossary and evaluation pro formas. Copies of this report can be ordered from CDIH
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