Population based planning as a tool for health plan development.

Population based planning is an appealing methodology for the development of a people-oriented health systems plan. By focusing on the identification and minimization of the social, behavioral, and environmental risks to ill health, population based planning is compatible with the growing understanding of the social origins of health and disease. Models of both population based and resource based planning are presented and used to define the concepts and contrast the two methodologies. To strengthen the population based planning model, Kessner's tracer methodology is incorporated into the technique. Finally, the benefits (focus on the social origins to disease) and the drawbacks (extensive time and data requirements) of population based planning are highlighted.