Conducting Needs Assessments

A Multidisciplinary Approach

Fernando I. Soriano

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781452289885
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

This book demystifies the process of planning a community intervention. This book takesneeds assessmentdown to a very basic level and speaks in very basic terminology that students understand. New to this edition:

• Updated case examples reflect current issues
• New section dealing with HIPPA regulations
• New section covering the importance of evidence based practice
• Increased sensitivity to multicultural issues

Key Features

• Brief, simple how-to guide
• Written with the practitioner and student in mind
• Best-seller in previous edition
• Demystifies a process that can be intimidating to students

PART III

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Methods

FIVE

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Quantitative Assessment Methods

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“Wow, Imelda, didn’t that consultant make things easy for us to understand? Even I felt like I could conduct a needs assessment! Too bad I won’t be able to help you.”

“But Don, it’s easy to listen to a talk on quantitative methods. It’s another thing to know what to do and what steps to follow, especially the first one!”

“Imelda, don’t you remember? Our boss said that we were getting a consultant to help us. So don’t worry!”

“I guess you’re right. I remember the speaker saying that there are many resources available to help us and that we should never be afraid of numbers.”

Many people feel intimidated by numbers, and they may fear conducting a quantitative needs assessment or other quantitative study. The problem is not the numbers or methods but rather the insecurity and basic lack of knowledge of what to do and where to start. This chapter will introduce the reader to quantitative methods and particularly to the structured interview and survey method, since they are the main types of studies that comprise quantitative methods. However, we start by talking about an assessment option that does not require the collection of any new data or information but rather the utilization of existing data or information. It is called the secondary data method. This is followed by an introduction to the survey method and a presentation of the structured interview method. The chapter ends with a discussion of instrument development.

Use of Secondary Data Sources

What better way to meet information needs than to use existing data, also called secondary data. Cities, counties, states, and national organizations routinely collect and maintain a wealth of data on diverse populations. They undertake periodic surveys on a host of topics such as health, crime, victimization, employment, and education. For example, those interested in assessing the mental health status of residents in a particular community can often find useful and sufficient data simply by contacting city or state departments of health or mental health.

Even if the collection of new data is warranted, using secondary data can enhance the interpretation of newly collected data. Moreover, many of the offices that maintain secondary data have resident researchers and/or statisticians who can guide individuals and groups in designing and conducting needs assessments as well as assist with data analysis. Two examples demonstrate using secondary data in lieu of conducting a needs assessment. In the first example, secondary data only are used to assess the need for substance abuse services. In the second example, secondary data are used to augment newly collected, or primary, data.

Using Only Secondary Data

A Midwestern state decided to assess its need for substance abuse services to allocate funds for programs according to needs. No funds were available to conduct a large needs assessment. The decision was made to utilize existing national and state data on those in treatment for substance abuse. Data from the US Census Bureau were used; of primary utility were data from the American Communities Survey, which has information available at the block level. These data would allow analysis of the demographic profiles of those in treatment, which could then be compared to the demographic characteristics of the broader population in each county of the state. Substance abuse program funding for treatment services would be allocated to counties in proportion to the number of people fitting the profile of substance abusers.

Using Secondary Data to Augment Primary Data

A substance abuse treatment program in a midsized East Coast city was informed that it needed data to justify continued state funding. However, the program had neither funds nor sufficient time to conduct an assessment of the need for substance abuse services. After making several calls to the city and state offices dealing with alcohol and drug abuse, management decided that existing secondary data would provide most of the information needed. The city’s health department had access to 1992 household survey data on substance use in the state. These data included sufficient numbers of participants from the city and from the program’s catchment area. A statistician and computer programmer from the city assisted the agency in determining the prevalence and incidence rates of substance abusers in its target community. From this analysis, it was determined that the catchment area’s incidence rates of drug and alcohol use among adults over the age of 25 were 4 times greater than rate for the city as a whole. For adolescent boys, the rates were 8 times greater in the target area than across the city.

Besides the Census Bureau and other government agency data used in the above examples, another secondary data source that is sometimes useful for needs assessments is the agency’s existing, routinely collected data on clients or patients. These data frequently include demographic characteristics captured in client or patient records, which can be used to develop profiles of clients or users of services. Those utilizing program or agency data on clients for needs assessment purposes assume that knowing about the pattern of services rendered can be useful for program planning or modifications.

The main advantage of using program-resident secondary data lies in its ready availability. Also, unlike data collected on non–program participants, program client data are a true reflection of services rendered, not an estimate. This advantage is also the data’s main disadvantage, however. That is, the records exclude data on those who are not receiving services but who could or should receive services. It is often the case, in fact, that human service agencies and programs underserve particular segments of their target population, such as members from dominant cultural groups. Developing new services as mirror images of existing services means repeating the same pattern, thus limiting access by those not already in the client population.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

In general, the advantages of using secondary data relate to cost and time. Many representatives of public agencies have ready access to computer records containing timely and relevant information that human service agencies and programs can easily use. Thousands of dollars go into conducting these studies to gather data that could be useful in assessing needs for services. Offices holding data useful to human service agencies include city, county, and state departments of health, education, labor/employment, substance/drug abuse, mental health, and police, as well as the voter registration, juvenile justice, and tax assessment offices. School districts, too, commonly conduct surveys of students in addition to maintaining student records.

Federal offices that house data of interest include the Census Bureau, the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, the CDC, and the NIH. This last agency includes the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Mental Health, and others. Regional offices of the Census Bureau have information specialists available to help agencies and programs develop profiles of their residents that can be used to assess service needs and plan to make adjustments in response to demographic changes.

For example, a community health clinic may want to know the proportion of residents in its catchment area who have or lack health insurance. An information specialist in a Census Bureau’s regional office can provide the agency with insurance coverage information for even certain blocks in specific neighborhoods. Fees for such services depend on the complexity of the effort. However, data and assistance from public offices are generally available at nominal cost or even free.

Every state has state data centers, which are usually affiliated with government offices or colleges or universities. State data centers receive data from the Census Bureau and national health surveys and most data from large national surveys. Even if the centers do not receive certain federal- and state-sponsored data, they have access to most of this information upon request. As with the Census Bureau, these centers have statisticians and data experts who can help agencies find relevant data.

Disadvantages

Although there are many advantages to using secondary data, there are disadvantages as well. The main disadvantage of using secondary data is that they seldom contain all of the needed information. The agency is dependent on when and about what or whom the data were collected. This limitation can be particularly troublesome when the agency needs information on special segments of the population, such as dominant ethnic groups, children, adolescents, and the elderly. Latino populations are examples of groups commonly omitted from secondary data sources, because they often are included in the “Caucasion/White” racial category. Asian populations are, likewise, commonly omitted from major data collection efforts because of their smaller numbers. Moreover, Asian populations are often assumed not to have needs because of prevailing stereotypes of Asians as model minorities who lack problems and a desire for educational, social, and psychological services.

Another disadvantage of secondary data is the level of technical knowledge that is sometimes needed to access and analyze it. However, this problem can be overcome by seeking assistance from the experts who are custodians of the data. Their assistance is frequently provided free or at a nominal cost. In fact, providing assistance to human service agencies is common and sometimes even mandated by the state or federal agencies providing the data custodians’ funds.

Researchers from colleges and universities are also available to lend technical expertise. It is not uncommon for community-based agencies to find that researchers are conducting or have conducted research on pertinent topics and geographic areas. In such cases, researchers can provide data and offer assistance at a reasonable cost. Even if needed data are not yet available, many researchers from institutions of higher education are eager to work with agencies to collect data. The cost for such assistance depends on factors such as the researcher’s own interest, his or her current involvement, his or her level of need for the same information, and the amount of time the effort requires. In any case, researchers from colleges and universities are usually cost-effective means of both obtaining secondary data and conducting new needs assessments and program evaluations.

Survey Methods

“At last night’s meeting, what kind of needs assessment did the board suggest we conduct for the Center?” Denise asked.

Johannes answered, “They didn’t `suggest.’ They mandated that we conduct a survey.”

“A survey? Well, did they tell you how to conduct one?”

“No. They didn’t even think we would need help. They told us that conducting a survey was the easiest way to do a needs assessment, because everyone hears about survey results all the time.”

“But, Paul,” Leticia replied worriedly, “we don’t know anything about surveys. Where do we start? How many people do we need for a survey?”

Indeed, we often read about surveys being conducted or sponsored by many groups and organizations. They are so common that it would appear that surveys are easy for anyone to conduct. Surveys are certainly among the most commonly selected methods for conducting needs assessments because they can very easily and expediently generate a significant amount of numerical or quantitative data. At the same time, however, their apparent convenience masks their inherent complexity, making them one of the most misused data collection methods. Furthermore, problems also occur with the interpretation and reporting of survey results.

Still, surveys can be appropriately and effectively used in conducting needs assessments. First, surveys are a cost-effective means of collecting information from a large numbers of individuals, often with little assistance given to respondents. Because surveys can be efficiently administered to large numbers of people, they are more likely than other methods to provide results that are representative of the target population. Another benefit of surveys is that quantifying responses, such as attitudes, perceptions, and needs for services, is relatively straightforward. Other methods, such as interview methods, can also yield quantitative results. However, surveys are better able to do so because they rely largely on fixed-choice questions.

There is no one preferred survey method to use when conducting needs assessments. Surveys come in different forms: mail-out surveys (e.g., questionnaires), telephone surveys, and face-to-face surveys. When questionnaires are used, they are typically structured or at least semistructured. Generally, the larger the sample or number of participants in the survey, the greater the reliance on structured or fixed-choice questions. Fixed-choice questions allow responses to be tabulated quickly, while the wide range of possible responses from mixed or open-ended questions requires the development of elaborate coding schemes to encompass most of the possible responses.

Funders and other external stakeholders often prefer the quantitative results that surveys provide, because numbers suggest an objectively measured amount of the attribute of interest, even if it is an opinion, a need, a perception, a belief, or a preference. Moreover, this quantified attribute can be compared to that of another area, that of the same area but at a different time, or that of the country as a whole, to give a few examples.

As with other methods, scope and content requirements continue to be det...