Healthcare needs assessment

Healthcare needs assessment is an evaluative process that aims to quantify population needs for healthcare. Need is defined as the capacity to benefit from healthcare. It is characterized by a deficit in health linked to the potential for effective healthcare intervention. The epidemiological approach to needs assessment considers the burden of illness in terms of the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of a disease or health condition. This approach also draws on estimates of clinical and cost effectiveness from systematic reviews of well-designed studies. These estimates can be mapped to existing patterns of service utilization to identify potential gaps in services. Needs assessment should evaluate inequalities in health needs and access to services in key population subgroups. The comparative approach to needs assessment contrasts locally derived estimates with data from comparator areas as well as national benchmarks and other normative data. The corporate approach engages with stakeholders, including service providers and patients, to understand their perspectives and concerns. Epidemiological, corporate, and comparative assessments of need should be summarized to make quantified recommendations for changes to existing services, informing the development of a business case, and being integrated into service commissioning.