Needs and Needs Assessments

Abstract

It is argued that to improve health, health systems are required to meet people’s needs and therefore health systems should identify these needs and find a way to prioritize these. For those with chronic diseases, these needs are necessary to manage their condition and go beyond purely the health system. A literature search found that studies published on identifying the needs of people with chronic diseases fall into the following categories: standardized tools, comparison of needs between individuals and health professionals, tools for evaluation, and description of needs. This review highlights the gap between tools used to assess health care needs versus needs for health. It found that a considerable portion of articles focused solely on health care needs. Many tools focused specifically on psychological or psychosocial needs and only one tool identified included a broad range of needs for health. The literature fails to address the wider needs of people with chronic conditions and is still focused on medical interventions. Given the disease burden and the impact of needs outside of the formal health system, needs assessments should be able to capture the full range and scope of the needs of an individual.