Needs Assessment

DH450 : The Class : Program Planning : Needs : Needs Assessment

Needs Assessment

The Needs Assessment

Needs Identification

Prioritization of Needs

Facts

Needs Analysis

The needs assessment has the following purposes:

It helps in identifying problems and needs in a community.
It helps to determine the extent to which needs exist.
It is a collection of pertinent facts.
It provides an analysis and interpretation of information.
It provides the foundation for effective program planning and successful program development.

Notes about Needs:

A need is something that you want to and can do something about.
Needs usually exist within "high risk groups" i.e., the elderly, very young, low socioeconomic status groups, migrant workers, recent immigrant, ethnic groups.
Often the purpose of the needs assessment is to show "relative need"--that a certain group has higher need than the general population or similar reference group.
You want to demonstrate that there is sufficient need to justify the money you are asking for to fund your program.

The Needs Assessment: Collecting Facts:

What information already exists?
Collect secondary data.
Sources may include state and local health agencies and other public health programs.
The collection of this information first will save you time and money.
Always do this first and do it very thoroughly.
"Don't create what you can steal." (I mean, of course, borrow, or use.)

Consider methods for surveying community's needs

Assessing community needs
Collect primary data. See Gluck p.222-3 for section on primary data advantages/ disadvantages
Determine community values and attitudes
Focus group, surveys and/or interveiws can help determine attitudes and values.
Indices help make data caomparable (oral hygiene, dental caries, and periodontal status)
Most collection methods require standardization and calibration.

The Needs Assessment: Basic Information about Survey Methods:

Think a lot about what you need to know first.

Study background information.
Look at other dental surveys.
Study background information about dental surveys.

Consult with experienced personnel:

For example, with state department of health or a regional office of the Public Health Service.
Consult with statistician: About sampling, records, data analysis and presentation of findings

Plan a pretest or pilot survey

A pilot test is a method of checking to make sure your survey is useable.
It helps to determine if people interpret questions in the way that you intended.
It helps to make sure that the possible answers include all of the possibilities.
It helps to work out all the "bugs".

The Needs Assessment: The Community Profile:

It is a factual picture of a community.
It will help to demonstrate the feasibility of the planned program.
It will determine whether you have resources to do the program.
If you don't have resources for a program it is doomed for failure.
It includes a demographic description:
Geographic boundaries
Political and Economic atmosphere
Dental and medical resources

The Needs Assessment: Analyzing Information

Is used to present an accurate and overall view.
It includes organizing, tabulating and interpreting data.
The best way to present data is graphically.
Keep tables simple and clear.
Format should match.
The needs analysis helps in establishing priorities and formulating program goals and objectives.
The analysis of the data should be planned before the data is collected.

The Needs Assessment: Prioritizing Needs

Determine whether there is really a lack of service, or a lack of utilization of existing services.
Collect support letters
Demonstrate importance:
How prevalent is the problem? Use epidemiological indices.
How severe is the problem? What happens if the program doesn't exist?
What is the prognosis? Or, what is the success rate? Funding agencies will give higher priorities for higher success rates.
What is the cost/benefit ratio? Or, what is the difference between the cost to put on the program vs. the cost not to do the program?

For example: The cost of water fluoridation costs about as much as one filling per person per lifetime. It prevents 50% of future decay. Or, one dollar spent on water fluoridation saves $80 in dental bills.

An advisory group will help to determine which needs should be addressed. It helps to get individuals involved. Their involvement encourages "buy in" and early commitment.

Once you have finished the lesson you should:

Go on to Importance of the Needs Assessment
or
Go back to Needs Assessment

E-mail Tricia Moore at Tricia.Moore@nau.edu or call (520) 523-4012
or E-mail Ellen Grabarek at Ellen.Grabarek@nau.edu