Needs Assessments

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Needs Assessments

• Presentation by
• Briana Quinlan

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What is wrong with these pictures?

• Deamonte Driver
• Age 12
• Died of a Toothache

www.americanchronicle.com/.../article21458.jpg
ktuu.images.worldnow.com/images/6596429_BG3.jpg
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Even with Medicaid coverage, dental attention is
just too hard to find. Dentists are not currently
made to accept Medicaid coverage, and many do not
want to deal with the long forms and pay that one
must offer a secretary to manage such documents
in the manner the Federal Government
requires. http//www.americanchronicle.com/articl
es/viewArticle.asp?articleID21458

• What needs to be done about this situation?

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Challenge

• Tell us your name
• Tell us one consequence of not having healthy
  teeth
• Tell us one benefit of having healthy teeth
• Tell us the answer to the question on your item

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Purpose

• Increase understanding of what a needs assessment
  is in order to produce one of our own

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Objectives

• Define needs assessment
• WHY do a needs assessment?
• Different uses of needs assessments
• Four steps to conduct a needs assessment
• Four questions to address in a needs assessment

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Definition

• Multiple
• A process for identifying and prioritizing gaps
  in results based on the cost to meet the needs
  versus the cost to ignore the need (Roger
  Kaufman).

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Definition (contd)

• Multiple
• A systematic study of a problem or innovation,
  incorporating data and opinions from varied
  sources, in order to make effective decisions or
  recommendations about what should happen next
  (Allison Rossett).

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Definition (contd)

• Best and Simplest
• A systematic exploration of the ways things are
  and the way that they should be
  (http//alumnus.caltech.edu/rouda/T2_NA.html).

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WHY do a needs assessment?

• Gain knowledge
• A way of changing behaviors
• Beneficial in cutting down on costs to society
• Reduce the amount of social problems in todays
  society
• To demonstrate a need for funding or grants in
  area of concern

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Different Uses of Needs Assessments

• Many different ways of doing a needs assessment
• May change dependent on the discipline,
  organization, population, or origin of focus
• Needs assessments can address larger systems but
  may be used to simply address individuals or,
  simply, an individual

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Examples

• Agency
• Assess training and development
• Organization development
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Opportunities for growth

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Examples (contd)

• Doctors and Students Practicing medicine
• Use patient satisfactory surveys to assess
  clinicians blind spots to patients needs
• Having audits performed to ensure that competence
  standards are being met

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Examples

• Individual
• Reflection on action
• Think back to some performance
• Identify what was done well and what needs
  improvement
• Peer Review
• Observation

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Models

• Infinite number of models
• 2 models
• One model we will use to apply at a policy level
• One model we will use to apply at a community or
  practice level
• In the future, can use interchangeably

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Four Steps ModelPolicy

• Step 1 Perform a Gap Analysis
• Define current situation
• Identify desired or necessary situation
• The gap will identify what our needs, purposes,
  and objectives are.

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Four Steps ModelPolicy

• Step 2 Identifies Priorities and Importance
• Look at the gap of our diagram and prioritize
  what is most important
• Some needs might be of relatively low importance
• Might be more effective by devoting our energies
  to issues of most importance

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Four Steps ModelPolicy

• Step 3 Identify Causes of Problems
• This will require an investigation and analysis
  of the professionals across disciplines
• This will help with the current situation as well
  as with moving towards the desired/necessary
  situation

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Four Steps ModelPolicy

• Step 4 Identify Possible Solutions
• Community Partner and Project

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Four Questions ModelPractice

• Question 1 How many people in the region or
  community need treatment for the problem at hand?
• Example How many children in Baltimore City need
  treatment for dental caries?

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Four Questions ModelPractice

• Question 2 What is the relative need of
  treatment services across the different regions
  or communities?
• Example What is the need in Montgomery County or
  Baltimore County compared to Baltimore City?
• By assessing this, a stronger argument can be
  made for reallocating resources.

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Four Questions ModelPractice

• Question 3 What types of services are needed
  and what is the capacity?
• Intervention code
• 1. The intervention code does not exist in the
  community
• 2. The intervention exists but is not available
  or not accessible

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Four Questions ModelPractice

• Question 3 contd
• 3. The intervention exists and is available
  and/or accessible to the client
• 4. The intervention exists and is available
  and/or accessible to the client but the client is
  unwilling to attend the agency that offers it in
  the community

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Four Questions ModelPractice

• Question 4 Are existing services co-ordinated
  and what is the need to improve the overall level
  of system functioning?

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Review

• Define a needs assessment
• More than one or even twenty ways of doing a
  needs assessment
• Why do a needs assessment?

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References

• Carreker-Sparks, J. (2007). Boy dies from an
  abscessed tooth. Retrieved from
• http//www.americanchronicle.com/article
  s/viewArticle.asp?articleID21458 on Oct. 4,
  2007.
• Grant, J. (2007). Learning in practice. Retrieved
  from
• http//www.bmj.com/cg/content/full/324/7
  330/156 on Sept. 23, 2007.
• Rouda, R. H., Kusy, M. E. (1996). Needs
  assessment. Retrieved from
• http//alumnus.caltech.edu/rouda/T2_NA.
  html on Sept. 23, 2007.
• (2000). Workbook 3 needs assessment. Retrieved
  from
• http//whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2000/WHO_MSD
  _MSB_00.2D.pdf on Sept. 23, 2007.
• (2007). What is needs assessment? Retrieved from
  http//www.megaplanning.com/aea on
• Sept. 23, 2007.