NEEDS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES AND FINDINGS Essays - Needs Assessment

NEEDS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES AND FINDINGS After reviewing the selected readings section, I found that the author of the book had the thought that making and using flowcharts is the most important action in process control. As I read on, he seems to state that the easiest and best way to understand a process is to draw it. The author outlines several steps to follow with this project. The first being; Before you try to solve a problem, define it. To do this I chose a subject that I felt affects everyone today. And our problem is healthcare, or rather the lack of it. The first step is to start with data collection; since everyone from the insurance companies, to the government collects and stores data, facts, and figures on the cost, effects, and statistics on health. This portion is not to difficult to research. With this information, I can list cost of medical care, insurance rates, and the percentage of people not receiving care. Also, with this information should be able to project future cost and potential for lack of care for specific groups. The second step in creating any project is; before you try to control a process, understand it. To meet this step we should look at cause and affect diagrams. We would need to look at all the parties involved. We would need to look at environment that healthcare is operating in. We should also search out what can be lost by finding a viable solution to this problem. How inaction is affecting the population as a whole. And how many different avenues are being looked at as a solution to this particular crisis we are facing. The key to success in this problem seems to be the participation of everyone, since the decisions that are being made affect us all. The third step for researching this paper would be; before trying to control everything, find out what is important. To meet this step, we would use cause and effect, and histograms. Because there are so many issues that effect this problem. You have to sort all the factors. We have to look at what is important to all, and find the common needs that best help everyone. For instance, the doctors want to make money, but the patients want affordable, quality care. And everyone wants the best care without some insurance company telling them that they do not that particular service. And the histograms would be useful because not every item presented affects other items. So they may not need that much change. An instance of this is that where you live should not dictate what cost of insurance you have to pay. And the last step is; start by picturing the process. For this we would use the flowchart itself. We should included the requirements and specifications, expectations, delivery, cost, defined the process, measure the process, steps to improve the process, and ways to improve and control the process. We should also looked at other designs that are currently being tried to solve this problem. Most of the people I have worked with currently do not have any kind of healthcare plan. So what happens when they really need help. Directed study Needs Assessments December 1998 EDWARD A. CLARKE MGT 480 INSTRUCTOR Martin Berman