Question

How might the nature and type of a community targeted for a health program influence the approach taken for needs assessment? (eg, strength-based approach/appreciative inquiry, service/condition focused needs assessment or rapid appraisal). Give some examples of the way in which a needs assessment can be used to benefit both communities and practice. Have you had any experience in involving communities within needs assessment? If you have, please reflect upon your experiences.

Answer 1

Need assessment is defined as the gap between "what is" and "what should be", as per the demands and requirements of the individual. Need assessment refers to a systematic set of procedure, that enables the professional to inquire and identify the needs of the target group, examine and explore the nature of the needs and plan strategies to address those needs.

The nature and type of community that is target in the health promotion program influences the approach used for need assessment. as for example the community having affinity and prevalence to one particular disease will be focused more on that area and the conditioned focused need assessment will be practices. Similarly, the target group that has particular belief and values including the health and well being can be targeted through appreciative inquiry where the aspects working well are examined and worked on to enhance whereas aspects not working well are tried to be improved.

Need assessment can be worked appropriately to benefit both community and the practice as assessment of needs leads to identification of the needs of the community and helps the policy makers and service providers to provide appropriate care and services for the identified needs. it also allows the service providers to target the specific needs and promote better health.

I had some of these experiences while working in the mental nursing wing at my last placement, the department organized the dementia drive that was targeted for the elder people of the community. To identify the needs of dementia group in community we used the strength based need assessment where the strengths of the group was assessed and worked on to ensure better outcomes.