An introduction

Lecture 18

By Jacob Coverstone

What is a Needs Assessment?

An introduction

By Jacob Coverstone

Objectives
Attendees will be able to:
Define Needs Assessment
Create and utilize an outline for conducting a
Needs Assessment
Understand types of identified needs
Normative
Relative
Expressed
Perceived

When do you conduct a Needs

Assessment?
A Needs Assessment takes place before the activity is

designed.

Why do you conduct a Needs

Assessment?
The purpose of a Needs Assessment is to make

decisions regarding priorities for the program.

If you conduct a proper Needs Assessment, you will

address or support Updated Criteria or Essential

Needs Assessments are about

Evidence
Can you answer:
what evidence do we have that our audience needs

this education?
what evidence do we have that our solution will yield
positive results?
what is the reason that we are offering education in
this format?

It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is

President Bill Clinton
Definitions 1:
Gap
Need
Want
Assessment
Needs Assessment

Former

Definitions 1
Gaps
The space between what currently exists and what

should exist.
Needs are contributing factors
What needs to be resolved to help close a gap.
Needs often relate to barriers
Wants are possible solutions
A proposed means to filling the gap.
Assessment is the evaluation of needs, barriers and
resources.

Definitions 1, continued.
Needs Assessment is the process of identifying and

measuring areas for improvement in a target audience,

and determining the methods to achieve improvement.

So
important,
it has its
own slide.

What goes into a Needs Assessment?

Normative data
Evaluations
Objectives
Opinion
Timelines
Barriers
Resources

What does it
take to get your
activity off the
ground?

So what is a Needs Assessment?

PreAssessment

Assessment

Action Plan

Needs
Assessment

Phases of a Needs Assessment

Pre-Assessment
Data collection. What do we know?
This

is the foundation of Gap Analysis

What is the current state?
Where should we be?
How does our region compare to others?
Whats new?
Whats important?

Phases of a Needs Assessment

Assessment

Evaluation of the data

What are our barriers?
Both internal and external
What Needs have we identified?
Are some gaps bigger than others?
Consider both scope and severity
What are our priorities?
Do we have the resources to address them?
Why do anything at all?

Phases of a Needs Assessment

Action Plan

How are we going to translate what we have

into what they need?

Which Needs can we address?

How are we overcoming barriers?
List additional barriers hindering progress
Have any areas been identified for follow-up or
future opportunities for educational intervention?

Gathering Data
Search for objective measures:
Scope: How many, or what percent, of patients are

exposed/vulnerable/expected to suffer from

Severity: What are the consequences?
Discomfort? Pain? Blindness?
Are there national standards for treatment?
Can we do better?

Assessment, an example:
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a
pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
- Elwood Blues, The Blues Brothers

It's not what you know, it's how you

know it.
Needs (gaps) are identified in 4 ways:
Types of Need
Normative
Relative
Expressed
Perceived

Types of Need
Normative
Defined as falling below a standard criterion

established by custom, authority, or general

consensus.
Strength:
Allows planners to use objective targets
Weakness:
Need levels change with time and must be reevaluated

Types of Need, cont.

Relative
Measured by the gap between the level of service

between similar communities

Strength:
Can lead to a priority for distribution of limited
resources
Weakness:
Limits resource allocation to under-performing areas

Types of Need, cont.

Expressed
Defined in terms of the number of people who actually

have sought help

Strength:
Focuses on situations where people have taken
action
Helps to determine barriers
Weakness:
Not all people with Needs seek help
Loss of the bigger picture
Misses latent Needs

Types of Need, cont.

Perceived
Defined in terms of what people think their needs are

or feel their needs to be

Strength:
Easy to come by
Weakness:
Subjective
Subject to the Dunning-Kruger effect

Problems must be translated into

Needs
Strive to answer all 4 types of Need.
Each type of need paints a different picture of the gap.

Needs are translated into Objectives

But thats another talk

Remember
Want and Need are not synonyms.
A Needs Assessment is conducted before the activity is

planned.
Pre-Assessment is not enough.
The more types of need you consider, the richer the
planning process and the more effective the education.

What gets measured gets managed Peter Drucker.