Public Health Flashcards
What is a health needs assessment?
A systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population. Leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities.
How can you demonstrate a health needs assessment as a diagram?
Needs assessment > planning > implementation > evaluation > begin cycle again
Define need
The ability to benefit from an intervention.
Define demand
It’s what people ask for
Define supply
It’s what we actually provide.
What is a health care need?
A need for healthcare – the ability to benefit from health care
Depends on the potential of prevention, treatment and care services to remedy health problems.
What are the 3 different approaches of health needs assessments?
Epidemiological
Comparative
Corporate
What does an epidemiological approach to a health needs assessment involve?
Define problem
Look at the size of the problem – incidence/prevalence
Services available – prevention/treatment/care
Evidence base – effectiveness and cost-effectiveness
Models of care – including quality and outcome measures
Existing services – unmet need; services not needed
Recommendations
What are some potential sources of data for an epidemiological HNA?
Disease registry
Hospital admissions
GP databases
Mortality data
Primary data collection (e.g. postal/patient survey)
What are the advantages of an epidemiological HNA?
Uses existing data
Provides data on disease incidence/mortality/morbidity etc.
Can evaluate services by trends over time
What are the disadvantages of an epidemiological HNA?
Quality of data variable
Data collected may not be the data required
Does not consider the felt needs or opinions/experiences of the people affected
What are the 4 sociological perspectives of need?
- Felt need – individual perceptions of variation from normal health
- Expressed need – individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health (demand)
- Normative need – professional defines intervention appropriate for the expressed need
- Comparative need - comparison between severity, range of interventions and cost
What does a comparative approach to a health needs assessment involve?
Compares the services received by a population (or subgroup) with others:
Spatial
Social (age, gender, class, ethnicity)
i.e. COMPARES THE SERVICES FOR A PARTICULAR HEALTH ISSUE IN TWO DIFFERENT AREAS
What factors might a comparative HNA examine?
Health status
Service provision
Service utilisation
Health outcomes (mortality, morbidity, quality of life, patient satisfaction)
What are the advantages of a comparative HNA?
Quick and cheap if data available
Indicates whether health or services provision is better/worse than comparable areas (gives a measure of relative performance)
What are the disadvantages of a comparative HNA?
May be difficult to find comparable population
Data may not be available/high quality
May not yield what the most appropriate level (e.g. of provision or utilisation) should be
What does the corporate approach to a health needs assessment involve?
Ask the local population what their health needs are
Uses focus groups, interviews, public meetings etc.
Wide variety of stakeholders e.g. teachers, healthcare professionals, social workers, charity workers, local businesses, council workers, politicians
What are the advantages of a corporate HNA?
Based on the felt and expressed needs of the population in question
Recognises the detailed knowledge and experience of those working with the population
Takes into account wide range of views
What are the disadvantages of a corporate HNA?
Difficult to distinguish “need” from “demand”
Groups may have invested interests
May be influenced by political agendas
What are the 3 main types of health related behaviours and provide an example of each? (6 marks)
Health behaviour – behaviour aimed to prevent disease (e.g. eating healthy)
Illness behaviour – behaviour aimed to seek remedy (e.g. going to the doctor)
Sick role behaviour – any activity aimed at getting well (e.g. taking prescribed medications, resting)
What are the 4 factors of the health belief model?
Perceived susceptibility
Perceived severity
Perceived benefits
Perceived barriers
According to the 4 factors of Health Belief Model give examples of what will make individuals change their behaviour?
Believe they are susceptible to the condition in question (e.g. heart disease)
Believe that it has serious consequences
Believe that taking action reduces susceptibility
Believe that the benefits of taking action outweigh the costs