Rapid assessment projects are expanding in the arenas of public health policy, planning, and program development in both developing and developed nations. This article reviews the methodological advances that have changed rapid assessment from a primarily “quick and dirty” approach for data collection into a public health tool for time-sensitive development of changes in intervention strategies, community-based organizational structure, program evaluation, and policy decisions. The methodological design of the Rapid Assessment, Response, and Evaluation Project, adopted by the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) in 1999, is presented as a model for using revised rapid assessment approaches within the context of public health policy development.
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