Question

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Needs Assessments

Community health assessments are used by health planners to identify, and prioritize health problems within a given community. To prioritize health programs and their development, a needs assessment is used. There are four types of needs that should be considered in a needs assessment. Although there is no single way to conduct a needs assessment, the basic steps to conducting a needs assessment can be identified.

Using the Online Library or the Internet, research about needs assessments and the types of health needs in your community. Based on your research, create a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document that:

• Describes the four types of needs and compares them. Explains the interaction of the four types and the role of each type of need in the community assessment process.
• Selects one of the four needs and provides an example of how this need can be applied to a health issue in your community. Describes the potential pitfalls of focusing a needs assessment on a single need. Provides examples to support your assertions.
• Identifies and describes the basic steps of conducting a needs assessment and also explains the importance of each.
• Describes any additional steps that should be considered in the assessment process.

Answer 1

Depending on your resources of time, money, and people it needs assessment survey in many different forms. It can be asking around with people you know in your community, your postal carrier, the people you work with, the woman at the corner gas station, it could take the form of a professionally written survey that is mailed to hundreds of people. In general, it needs assessment surveys that have some common characteristics. They have a set list of questions to be answered. They have a determined sample of the number and types of people to answer these questions. They are done by personal interview, phone, by written response The results of the survey are tabulated, summarized, distributed, discussed, and used.

In most cases assessment surveys it requires to learn more about what your group needs are. A good survey can supplement observations and experiences. It can give you detailed information from a larger and more representative group of people. To get a more honest and objective description of needs than people might tell you publicly. To become aware of possible needs that is important or that you never even knew existed. To document your needs, as required in many applications for funding, and is helpful in advocating for your cause. To make sure actions you take or join in are in line with needs that are expressed by the community.

The assessment needs can be defined as the gap between what is and what should be. A need can be felt by an individual, an entire community. It can be as the need for food and water or as improved community cohesiveness. An obvious example could be the need for public transportation in a community where older adults have no means of getting around. More important to these adults, might be valued for their knowledge and experience. Examining situations helps the need and leads toward future improvement.

Resources can include individuals, organizations and institutions, buildings, landscapes, equipment, anything that can be used to improve the quality of life. Access to clean drinking water, child abuse and neglect, crime, domestic violence, drug use, environmental contamination, ethnic conflict, health disparities, hunger, inadequate emergency services, inequality, jobs, lack of affordable housing, poverty.

Assessment surveys have written and closed ended with narrow questions which are quantitatively scored. The person being surveyed often responds with a numerical rating, with a verbal statement. Such surveys can be very useful, but they can't capture all that a person is thinking or feeling.

They have more depth and variety as the nonverbal communications and group interactions can be observed. Focus groups can therefore get closer to what people are thinking and feeling, even though their responses may be harder or impossible to score on a scale. Both of these methods are useful and both can be used together, to complement each other. This depends upon your own needs and purposes, and the resources available.

There are various steps one can implement a timely and cost-effective needs assessment for the organization. Brainstorming and planning with guiding documents supplementing secondary data collection. There is also primary data collection having data Analysis and dissemination.

Assessment involves gathering and assessing multidimensional information about the client's situation using appropriate social work knowledge and theory with a focus on strengths based assessment to develop a plan that involves all the relevant parties and levels.

Assessment is a systematic process of investigating a population to assess the state of current resources such as knowledge, abilities, interests, and approaches to the focus of the needs assessment such as a concern, aspiration, and intention. It's a way of asking group members what they see as the most important needs of that group. The results of the survey then guide future action depending on the resources that needs assessment survey which takes many different forms.