title: Envisioning health care using a StoryTech process with continuing education participants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Participants representing rural and regional health care providers, employees, and consumers were involved in a continuing education (CE) conference focused on envisioning tomorrow's health. The 1993 attendees were taught a process of envisioning health care 5 years into the future. The 1993 projected outcomes were reviewed with 1998 realities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Continuing education participants (N = 417) generated their design for a healthy future by responding to six story scenarios. Stories (2,502) related to quality of health care were analyzed in a three-step process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings from the concept analysis of stories obtained at the 1993 CE conference revealed a conceptual model for a desired health future for 1998, with four major concepts, five goals, and five guiding principles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Visioning in a CE environment creates valuable direction for an improved health care future. A CE conference provides the seeds and opportunities for dialogue and partnership by people responsible for implementing action plans that potentially would create a healthy community.
authors.affiliation: Minnesota State University, Mankato, School of Nursing, MN 56001, USA.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Eggenberger
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Huntley
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005544:Forecasting / Q000379:methods*; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011787:Quality of Health Care