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Problem Solving for Better Health^® (PSBH^®) Workshop Process

Workshops are held to launch the Problem Solving for Better Health process. Participants generally represent a broad cross section in a given community or region. For example, they may include businessmen and women, doctors, farmers, firefighters, government officials, lawyers, nurses, or truck drivers. Each participant is asked to bring to the workshop a list of up to three unsolved health or social problems that he or she encounters in his or her community. The process helps participants define a problem, identify a solution, create a good plan of action, and take that action.

Over the course of a one- to three- day workshop, participants are challenged to rethink the problem and follow a structured path toward solving it. Each participant must ask a “Good Question:” Will doing what, with whom, where, and for how long, achieve the desired objective? He or she then comes up with possible solutions and a plan of action.

Participants work together in small groups led by one or two facilitators. Facilitators are individuals who have participated in several workshops and have demonstrated, through the completion of successful projects of their own, that they understand the concept of PSBH. They are committed to working together to assist each participant in developing an action plan that he or she can realistically implement. Participants are encouraged to utilize community resources for information, funding, and other assets that will aid in the successful completion of their projects. At the end of the workshop, participants return to their communities, homes, and jobs with a practical action plan and a renewed commitment to making a difference.

Click below to read the Participant’s Handbook:

English Version	Spanish Version
Note: PDF issues require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Problem Solving for Better Health Follow-Up Workshop

Follow-up workshops are designed to help participants assess and improve their projects, and to provide a forum where they can exchange lessons learned and find solutions to obstacles they encounter. After a period of three to six months, the participants reconvene at a follow-up workshop to present their projects and results to a local team, comprised of the workshop facilitators and organizers. The local team provides leadership and assists participants with logistical and technical challenges. Routine site visits are planned and small meetings are offered as ongoing support. Local and international newsletters, visiting teams, and regional workshops strengthen the communication network.

Evaluation is a critical element of the program. Every project has a measurable endpoint–a quantifiable measure by which the degree of success or failure of the proposed solution to a given problem can be assessed. Such rigorous measurement is the only way participants can be certain that they are achieving what they set out to do and are serving their communities optimally. Producing measurable outcomes also increases the credibility of the local program with potential supporters and partners; e.g., government and businesses that may help to support the program. Sustainability and replication of projects are key elements in the program's growth and success.