Assignment 2: Course Project—Plan to Address Health Issue

CONDUCTING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT 8

Conducting a Needs Assessment

PHE 6210 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Phyllis Ocran

Dr. Gayle Jones

April 25, 2017

What is measured in assessing health?

Health is a complete state of social, physical and mental wellbeing. It does not always mean a state of absence of ailments or disease from a body. Healthcare on the other hand refers to the treatment and prevents of diseases by organizations and healthcare professionals. It includes those goods and services that are promulgated to promote the wellbeing of people and populations in general.

When assessing health, there are three things that are measured. These include: measures of health status, measures of quality of life and measures of healthcare. Measurement of the health status is done using clinical or pathological methods and certain specialized instruments. These measures include signs such as: temperature, blood pressures, X-rays, among others. They are also comprised of checklists for disease specific symptoms and even adverse effects of injury such as bleeding and pain.

Measures of quality of life on the other hand are used to determine the difference between what an individual’s hopes and expects, and his/her present life circumstances. The quality of life is also influenced by certain elements that fall within what health providers have control over. Quality of life that is health related can either be measured through interviews with patients or using instruments. For instance, the quality of life of an asthmatic patient can be measured using a stethoscope to his/her chest to determine the level of exposure to their asthma triggers.

Measures of health care on the other hand are basically determined by the balance between the demand of health care services and the supply of those services. Evaluation of healthcare is determined by the efficiency in responding to injury, effectiveness of the medication or therapy and acceptability of services (quality of drugs, processes). Healthcare can therefore be measured with regards to the patient satisfaction, the quantity and quality of healthcare providers, and the financial performance of individuals within a certain population. Financial performance is a very crucial measure of the quality of healthcare within communities. This is because healthy individuals are usually very productive in their job performance. (Hooper & Longworth, 2002).

Describe the two assessments you chose. What data was collected in the needs assessments?

There are three phases that usually form the backbone of a needs assessment procedure. These are:

1. Exploration of the problem to determine the objectives of the assessment.

2. Collection and analysis of data.

3. Making of decisions in order to address the needs.

This discussion is a comparison of two needs assessments in order to evaluate variations in their methodology.

The first assessment was a health need assessment was conducted at a Gill Shapero, a school in Newcastle. The objective of the assessment was to evaluate the nature and state of the student’s lifestyle with regards to their sexual health and drug abuse. In this assessment, the first step was to develop the needs assessment plan. The plan was developed by formulation of the steps to be followed during the exercise. These steps included: Clarification of the objectives, selection of the audience, selection of a sample population from the school, collection of data, identifying a suitable survey instrument and analyzing the data that was collected.

Data was collected by circulating a structured questionnaire about the sexual knowledge of the students and conducting drug tests from anonymous and voluntary urine samples. Data from the questionnaires established that most students did not use protection during most of their sexual encounters. Most of the anonymous urine samples also tested positive for the presence of drugs. From the findings of this survey, it was quite clear that most students in the institution lacked information regarding sexually transmitted ailments and lacked knowledge about the dangers of drug abuse. The assessment team recommended for the development of curricula and scheduling of classes that entailed creating awareness and educating the students about protection against sexually transmitted diseases and the dangers of drug and substance abuse.

The second needs assessment was conducted at prisons in Durham. The objective of the exercise was to determine the state of healthcare in the prisons. The exercise was conducted as follows:

1. A sample population from the cellblocks was chosen.

2. The profile of the population was established from the prison healthcare data with regards to physical injuries and psychological conditions.

3. The assessment team then selected the most serious among the cases of injuries and ailments.

4. The team investigated the injury reports, response times, quality of medication and the care given to the prisoners during recuperation.

Data that was collected form the survey in this particular case study suggested that the prison work force was not well trained, there were inadequate healthcare resources (i.e. medication, crutches, first aid kits), suicide and self-harm management was also very poor and the healthcare information.

From these two case studies, we can deduce that the methodology through which they were conducted shares the core phases of executing a needs assessment i.e. establishing the objectives, data collection and decision making. However, in the first exercise the team prepared an assessment plan which of course did not happen in the case of the Durham prisons. There is also a variation in the instruments that were used to collect the data because; in Gill Shapero, data was collected using a structured questionnaire but in the Durham prisons, the data was collected by evaluating the prison healthcare system.

Identify and discuss the theory (ies) that influenced these needs assessments.

The first needs assessment that was conducted at Gil Shapero was primarily focused on the quality of life of students at the school. The study was with regards to tertiary needs i.e. sexually transmitted ailment and smoking of drugs, which are lifestyles concerns. This assessment emphasizes that quality of life is one of the measures of healthcare. The lifestyle that the students were leading was an indication of their quality of life. It was also an indication of the state of health education in the school. Educating people about their health is one of the health services that are to be provided by health professionals (Moore &Klingborg, 2007).

The second needs assessment was also very relevant to the topic of health assessment. This is because healthcare facilities and healthcare procedures suggest the quality of healthcare that is being provided to patients. Healthcare is one of the things that are measured when assessing health. On this note therefore, the state and quality health services, procedures and facilities are an indication of health.

How were the results of the needs assessments used in program planning and design?

In the first assessment, the results were used to determine the responsibilities and the timescale of the sexual education and drug abuse services to be provided to the students in the institution. The results were also used to formulate strategic plans aimed at tackling the concerns. In the second assessment, the results were used to develop an action plan for modernization and health improvement of prisoners at the Durham institutions.

References

Hooper, J. & Longworth, P. ( 2002). Health needs Assessment Workbook. National Institute of Health and Clinical Science.

Theories We share Science.com. (2017). Retrieved from, https://wesharescience.com/na/natheories.html on 22nd April 2017.

Moore, D., & Klingborg, D., (2007). Involving Practitioners in Continuing Education Needs Assessment: Use of the Nominal Group Technique. jvme 34: 122-126