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Read more about needs and needs assessments in Hawe et al (1990) and other references listed in the Bibliography |
Clarifying need is an essential part of deciding what issue or problem the project will address. The term 'needs assessment' is used to describe a process of collecting information that will give a good indication of the priority needs of a community. It provides an opportunity for the community to become involved in the planning from the beginning. It helps with allocating resources and making decisions about where to start with health promotion work.
| A definition of 'needs' Health needs are understood as being those states, conditions or factors in the community that, if absent, will prevent people from achieving complete physical, mental and social health. This would include such things as minimum provision of basic health services and information, a safe physical environment, good food and housing, productive work and activity, and a network of emotionally supportive and stimulating relationships. Hawe et al 1990:210 |
When undertaking a needs assessment, it is important to consider that needs will be thought of differently, depending on whom you consult. Needs are sometimes classified as:
Normative needs are needs based on the opinion and experience of 'experts' according to current research and findings. For example: Health experts consider that there is no safe level of tobacco smoking. Therefore, a primary health care provider may strongly advise a client who is a smoker to quit smoking.
The NHMRC recommend that all children be vaccinated against specific diseases. Suppose it was discovered that many children in a particular population of children were not immunised against these diseases. This situation would indicate a need for an immunisation project.
Felt needs are those things that groups or individuals say they want, or the problems that they think need addressing. For example:
Expressed needs are shown by the number of people using community facilities and services. For example:
Comparative needs are shown by comparing what is available to one group of people with what is available to another group. For example:
When determining needs of a community or group, focus on a range of needs and use of variety of tools to determine each type of need.
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Read more about needs and needs assessments in Hawe et al (1990) and other references listed in the Bibliography |
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Analyse a community profile | |
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Use a variety of research methods detailed in 'Information Gathering Tools' later in the chapter | |
| An example of a needs assessment by survey... In a Top End community, a community health centre team decided to do a needs assessment. They were keen to know what community residents thought were the major issues that they could all work on together. The health team decided to ask the following questions:
An Aboriginal Health Worker and a nurse went together to interview family groups. The Aboriginal Health Worker asked the questions in the language of the family and translated the answers to the nurse who wrote them down in English. The health team analysed the data and fed the results back to the community for discussion. Information from Health Promotion Program files 1992/93 |
Sharing the results of the needs assessment with the community is a key part of the planning process. This process will:
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See the chapter 'Sharing Health Information' |
Some of the information gathered during the needs assessment may be able to be used as 'baseline data'. Baseline data describe the situation or condition at the time the project or intervention starts. Data collected later during the evaluation is then compared against the baseline data to see the effect of the project.
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See the section on 'Planning the Evaluation' in this chapter for information on how to use baseline data. | |