Arecent study of health promotion professionals and
practitioners identified a need for help in identifying,
developing, and implementing best practices in health
promotion (Kahan et al., 1999). The IDM Operational
Framework (see Table 2) is our response to this need.
This framework incorporates two features: (a) On its
horizontal dimension, it employs a familiar sequence of
seven steps required to plan, implement, and evaluate
initiatives; and (b) on its vertical dimension, it uses the
IDM (see Figure 1) as a filter that accompanies each of
the seven steps. Table 3 provides “trigger” questions to
guide practitioners in their use of the IDM Operational
Framework.
In essence, the IDM Operational Framework (which
we are currently field testing) involves a step-by-step
process that progresses through four stages (i.e., diagnosis,
planning, implementation, and evaluation) with
respect to each of the three domains of the IDM. This
framework can help practitioners in two ways: It provides
a way for them (a) to develop their own criteria
(i.e., health promotion–based ideal) by which they can
identify and assess alternative actions, and (b) to develop
action plans that are consistent with health promotion
underpinnings and a health promotion understanding
of the environment.
Table 4 provides an example of how the IDM Operational
Framework might be applied to the issue of
breast cancer by a hypothetical, community-based organization
(i.e., Against Breast Cancer) with respect to
its underlying values and evidence base.