Following are the few steps of IEC, EXCEPT

NHM MP Staff Nurse-2022

Community Health Nursing

Medium

Appeared in: NHM MP Staff Nurse-2022

Explanation

"Continue with follow-up" is not considered a formal, distinct step in the strategic planning and development phase of an Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) or Behavior Change Communication (BCC) program.
The standard frameworks for IEC/BCC emphasize systematic stages like analysis, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
While activities that could be described as 'follow-up' (like reminder messages) might be part of the implementation or reinforcement, 'follow-up' itself is not a named strategic step in the overall planning process, unlike the other options.

Option A: This is the foundational first step of any IEC/BCC strategy. Without a needs assessment and clear goals, the program would lack direction and relevance.
Option B: This is a core component of the strategic design phase. It translates the overall goals into specific, desired behaviors and the activities needed to promote them.
Option C: This is an essential part of planning. Identifying potential barriers helps in designing a realistic strategy, and creating an evaluation plan from the start is crucial for measuring the program's effectiveness.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Steps of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) Strategy as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses, especially in community health, are heavily involved in planning and implementing IEC programs for health promotion, such as campaigns for vaccination, sanitation, or maternal health.
Understanding these systematic steps helps a nurse move beyond just giving information to designing effective interventions that lead to actual behavior change in the community.
What if the context was individual patient education for a chronic disease (e.g., diabetes) instead of a community campaign? In that case, 'follow-up' would become a critical and explicitly named step to monitor adherence, answer questions, and adjust the care plan.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the negative keyword 'EXCEPT'. This means you are looking for the option that does not belong.
Recall the standard process for program planning, which is similar to the nursing process: Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation (APIE).
Analyze each option to see where it fits in the planning cycle.
Option A (Conduct need assessment & set goal) is clearly 'Assessment' and 'Planning'.
Option B (Develop behavioural object and IEC activities) is part of 'Planning'.
Option C (Identify barriers and create evaluation plan) is also part of 'Assessment' and 'Planning'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Steps of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) Strategy
Stem keywords: IEC, steps
Lead-in keywords: EXCEPT
Negative lead-in flag: The question uses the word 'EXCEPT', asking to identify the option that is NOT a standard step in the IEC process.

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E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health NursingShyamala D part 1 (pp 26-389 of 389) pp. 238-240, 244-246