Lesson 5: Community needs Assessment

INTRODUCTION
Assessing the needs of the community enables the health worker ldentify various problems and resouces availble,prioriterise and help them solve them.

DEFINITION
A NEED: anything one can not do without it, in other words, the concept of needs describes the situation or circumstances in which something is lacking, or necessary or requiring some course of action to provide satisfaction.

TYPES OF NEEDS

 * 1) felt needs
 * 2) express needs
 * 3) agency / organisation determine need.

These are what people “feel” or their wants. They only be the feelings of the individual people or wants shared by groups or majority of people in the community. These may therefore be an individual’s or community’s assessment of the present situation, discovering what is lacking and {{realising the potential for change. Felt needs may be expressed informally within the community.
 * FELT NEEDS
 * In terms of health promotion, felt needs may be the beliefs of the people about the extent and nature of the health problems, their causes and possibilities for prevention and cure. These are further influenced by the people’s previous experience. Their culture, education, understanding of epidemiology and biology.

These are needs that have been moved from the level of being felt to that of being brought to the attention of authorities at various levels (expressed) by requests, complaints, petitions etc. these needs have been spoken out or expressed in writing.
 * EXPRESS NEEDS


 * AGENCY / ORGANISATION DETERMINE NEEDS
 * These are products of decisions emanating from external Organisations to the Community. Organisational determined needs are what external organisations such as the Ministry Of Health, Department Of Community Development, etc. have decided the community needs and may not necessarily reflect the felt needs of the people. These are determined from outside the community.



ROLES OF HEALTH WORKERS IN ASSESSING NEEDS

 * Collecting information on health conditions with community members:
 * Organise sessions for discussion of health needs with community members:
 * Conduct regular health education activities to create awareness of health issues;
 * Hold meetings with chiefs and opinion leaders to discuss the health issues;
 * Hold regular meetings with other groups such as mothers, young unmarried women, young men, and fathers etc. to discuss their specific health problems;
 * Discuss community health issues with DHMT and other health workers.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT
It is a process of finding out about the local health problem with its socio-cultural factors and identifying available resources in solving these problems.

TYPES OF RESOURCES
The types of resources are: Natural, Man made and human resources.


 * Community need assessment is done by gathering information.

==PRIORITAERISATION OF COMMUNITY NEEDS This can be achieves after gathering of data. After then.
 * Educate community members on current national health priorities e.g. malaria.
 * Educate on disease causation
 * Help them to identify their major halt problems
 * Help them to diagnose their major health problems
 * Help them to identify, available community resources
 * Identify their own perception on local health needs.

HOW TO PRIORITISE

 * Ranking
 * Pocket vote (can be done through writing)
 * Selection by showing of hands
 * Standing in question behind symbols
 * Discussion (all discuss and decides on one)

It is a situation under health facility. The need is health system initiated. It can be the structure being too old or the health personnel i.e. the attitude which can drive patients away or the flow system which can be complicated.
 * OTHER NEEDS
 * Health system needs.


 * USER NEEDS
 * These are needs of users of health facilities.

These are formulated by the community members.
 * COMMUNITY NEEDS

GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING

 * Gather background information about the community.
 * Collect and review available literature
 * Establish rapport with chief and community members
 * Ask chief and opinion leaders about history and cultural practises
 * Find out about various types of occupation of community members
 * Ask about social amenities e.g. school, hospital, place of convenience (K.V.I.P)


 * ASSESS THE STATE OF THE COMMUNITY AN ITS RESOURCES.
 * Assess financial status (their source of income)
 * Assess human resource status (e.g. their level of education)


 * GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTH CONDITIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
 * Sources of water supply
 * Sources of refuse disposal.


 * GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTH RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY.
 * Number of health facility
 * Source of finance for health activities
 * Logistics supply
 * Community support


 * GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE HEALTH BEHAVIOUR OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
 * The use of health facilities
 * Note services rendered and to whom
 * Check on other sources of the services


 * ASSESS THE STATUS OF FUNCTIONING HEALTH PROGRAMMES IN THE COMMUNITY.
 * check action plan
 * ask about the extent of work done
 * check on plans for sustaining the programme


 * RANK PROBLEMS TO PRIORITISE FELT NEEDS
 * Explain importance of prioritising to community members.
 * Help community members to prioritise the needs
 * Rank needs with community members.


 * PLAN PROGRAMME TO SOLVE FELT NEEDS
 * Decide on short term or immediate plan
 * Plan long term solution.


 * EVALUATE PROGRAMME ACCORDING TO DESIRED SOLUTION
 * Gather information on programme activity
 * Analyse information collected
 * Draw conclusion
 * Make changes as appropriate.

GUIDE FOR PRIORITISING COMMUNITY NEEDS

 * Create awareness of health issues through the following.
 * Plan and decide on day of meeting chiefs, opinion leaders and other groups
 * Book an appointment for the meeting
 * Write to invite members.
 * Hold meetings with chiefs and opinion leaders to discuss health issues.
 * Hold regular meetings with other groups to discuss specific health issues.


 * Assist member to list health needs in other of priority.


 * discuss with members the alternative solutions for the identified needs.

USES OF HEALTHE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

 * To define the health status of and environment
 * Identify health problems of needs of an environment
 * Identify the determine of health
 * To device appropriate intervention measure and appropriately use constrain resource
 * Evaluate impact of health programme and services
 * Identify key stake hiders in the health delivery system.

Tests and Quizzes
What is a need. List and Explain the three types of needs Describe the process for community needs assessment Explain the uses of needs assessment.

Reading Assignment

 * Read on Community Mobilisation and Participation.}}

Reference

 * MOH/GHS (2002 ) Community Mobilisation and Participation Training Manual; Community-Based Health Planning and Services.


 * JHPIEGO(2003) CHPS Learning Package For Community Schools Trainer’s/Preceptors’ Manual ; 1. Community Health Nursing.

Jaquansah 18:38, 1 March 2007 (CET)

Jaquansah 15:35, 26 February 2007 (CET)