National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools

Hi again! I'm looking for more resources on conducting environmental scans. I have found one on this site, but I would love if anyone could share the guidelines or articles that they use for guidance when conducting an environmental scan. I've done some searching, but can't seem to come up with much. I know that the methods of scans can vary considerably, but any information you can provide is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Novella,

Thanks for starting this new thread - great question!

Just to confirm, have you already reviewed "Knowledge translation modules to support initiatives"? This resource has a module focusing on conducting an environmental scan.

Also, I wanted to clarify how you plan on using this tool. Will it be a step in a planning process that your health unit routinely uses?

Kirsten

Hi Kirsten,

That's the resource that I already have. It's a project being completed more for informational purposes and priority setting, to learn about what's been done/is happening and about the process.

Novella

Hi Novella,

I did a quick search to locate some resources on environmental scanning and I found two interesting articles that may be of interest to you.

One article is by Randolph Rowel and colleagues (2005), which looks at how environmental scans are used in public health practice (for the abstract, click here: "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568702/"). He cites a model developed by Chun Wei Choo (2001) on the use of environmental scanning more generally (not just within public health) (this is an open access article: "http://informationr.net/ir/7-1/paper112.html").

It seems that there are two ways that environmental scans are being used in public health:

1. To inform strategic planning for an organization as a whole
2. To inform program planning decisions to address a specific issue

Rowel and colleagues state in their article that there are many ways to conduct an environmental scan to meet these different needs, and that there is a need to develop a guideline for conducting environmental scans in public health. I know from my own experience, environmental scanning involved developing a set of questions to collect information about current initiatives that address physical activity in other Ontario public health units.

What do others think? Has anyone come across any resources that are helpful?

Sunita

Thanks, Sunita. I'll check out the model by Chun Wei Choo. I agree with the statement by Rowel et al. - guidelines would be helpful! Especially for those new to public health or unfamiliar with scans - you can review previously conducted environmental scans for guidance; however, the methods aren't always applicable to your issue.