StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Needs Assessment in Public Health - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Public health needs assessment is an inseparable part of successful public health practice in communities. It is also one of the principal functions of public health…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.2% of users find it useful
Needs Assessment in Public Health
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Needs Assessment in Public Health"

Download file to see previous pages

This paper provides a critical analysis of the theory and processes underpinning public health needs assessment. Secondly, it provides a profile of the health and social well being of a Coventry teenage community in order to identify and appraise their health needs in relation to the topic of early pregnancy. CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This Chapter explores the theoretical aspects of public health needs assessment and sets the theoretical background to the research. 2.1. Context, Meaning and Purpose of the Assessment of Public Health Needs British public healthcare system has come into a lot of criticism of late.

Funded by general taxation, public health services are provided free to general public. Only 8 per cent of population has been reported to use the services of private healthcare to supplement the public health service (Huwa, 2010). At the same time, thanks to media coverage and recent findings it has become evident that lots of patient’s needs are not met within the existing public service, especially if to take consider occasional budget health cuts in the United Kingdom. The results of a survey of 900 British nurses published more than a year ago in a Daily Mail article contain many alarming comments that have made the general public aware that “Elderly patients are ‘parked’ in day rooms while waiting to be transferred to another hospital, and left ‘soiled and neglected’, and ‘needing fluids’.

Sometimes spare beds run out – and people have to sleep on chairs or mattresses on the floor. Nearly half the nurses said patients in non-clinical areas did not have proper access to water, oxygen, suction and a call bell.” (Huwa, 2010) In the context of health inequality, health budget cuts, and other public health challenges, public health needs assessment is perceived as one of the core functions characteristic of public health along with assurance and policy development (Byrd, 2002: 273).

At the same time, it has been often considered the most complicated by public health professionals due to the amount of specific work it involves. Public health needs assessment can be understood as an on-going process that provides necessary background for planning public healthcare and various programs in public health. As for the purposes of public health needs assessment, they may be well understood from the definition of public health needs assessment. The latter has been defined as a developmental process that describes people’s health state, enables to identify principal risk factors and underlying causes of people’s ill health, as well as identify necessary actions to address these issues (Rowe, McClelland, and Billingham, 2001: 8).

The meaning of public health needs assessment is well illustrated by the definition produced by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). According to it, public health needs assessment is “a systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population” (NICE, 2005: 3). It aims not just to describe local population’s disability extent, but to realize the existing inequalities and the way they impact the community in general, as well as values and perceptions which are placed on these issues by local population and healthcare professionals that work with them (Rawaf & Marshall, 1999).

In this context, public health needs assessment is also interpreted as a project which is not completed at the moment of report completion, but triggers both planning and policy-making. In addition, it is continuously reflected on and gets amended (WHO, 2001)

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Needs Assessment in Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved de https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1392070-you-are-required-to-provide-an-essay-that
(Needs Assessment in Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1392070-you-are-required-to-provide-an-essay-that.
“Needs Assessment in Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1392070-you-are-required-to-provide-an-essay-that.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Needs Assessment in Public Health

Public Health Practice in the UK

This paper discusses the role of three public health practitioners Lucy Smith a public health manager in charge of mental well wellbeing, Sue Levi a consultant in public health medicine and Thara Raj a public health manager in sexuality and immunisation.... Role of public health Practitioners in the UK (Name) (Institution) (Date) Introduction public health practice is concerned with protecting the health of the public.... hellip; According to Baggot ,public health is “the art and science of controlling disease, lengthening life and advancing health through the planned efforts and informed decisions of community, organizations, private and public, individuals and communities” (Baggott, 2000)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Purposes of Community Organic Gardening

Community Organic Garden Name Lecturer Date Purposes of Community Organic Gardening The reasons of carrying out this community project include beatifying neighborhoods, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, improving social connections, decreasing crime, improving physical activity and property values, decreasing obesity, and diabetes or food expenditures....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

Role of Community Health Nurses

public health Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Abstract: Community health nurses are involved in health planning, implementation and evaluation in order to ensure the target populations receive the desired quality of health care.... The nurses must provide health education, and primary health care services to individuals or families that are considered as members of vulnerable populations or high-risk groups in the community.... hellip; The nurse must play the role of care provider, advocate, educator, manager and collaborator in provision of high quality health care to the population....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH NEEDS

Many factions and institutions are involved, all of whom endeavor to achieve the same aim: provision of better health care facilities for the aging.... “The Older Americans Act focuses on improving the lives of older people in areas of income, housing, health, employment, retirement and community services” (Older Americans Act).... AoA is a sublet of the United States Department of health and Human Services, which is governed by the Assistant Secretary for Aging....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Alcohol and Substance Abuse Statistics

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2010), alcohol is one of the most common drug substances in the world and that its abuse among the young population has become a major issue in public health.... In a situation where I would be assigned as a public health practitioner in an area that… s suffered from economic decline due to the closure of local factories and engineering businesses, I have considered the issue of high levels of alcohol and substance abuse as a topic for this paper....
24 Pages (6000 words) Essay

Community Needs Assessment

The community needs assessment is a way through which information obtained can be used to plan public health programs and health care in the future.... This paper describes what community needs assessment is, describes different types of needs, what data is sought and why, how data is obtained and the principles that underpin the steps involved in the process undertaking a community needs assessment.... hellip; A community needs assessment determines whether or not agencies, organizations or the community would support the program....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

Community Needs Assessment in Public Health

The purpose of this paper "Community Needs Assessment in Public Health" is to carry out a community health needs assessment for residents of Jacksonville, the paper will further provide suggestions on each of the health need can be addressed with reference to real issues in the city.... The health needs assessment will be conducted through review of relevant literature that covers the Jacksonville city, however, relevant literature from within Florida State will also be used for comparison and to add weight to the study....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Assessment of Public Health Needs

The paper "The Assessment of public health Needs" discusses the essence of epidemiology to the health of the public with consideration of public health principles and values.... hellip; The paper discusses the importance of collaborative working and partnerships in the improvement of public health as well as challenges for its effectiveness.... nbsp; The aim of public health is to improve health as well as wellbeing in the entire population, prolong the value of life, reduction of health inequalities, prevention of diseases, and minimizing the consequences of the disease....
10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us