Needs Assessments

Needs assessment overview

A needs assessment is a strategic approach used to analyse the needs of a population.¹ Once the needs of a population have been identified and prioritised, a programme can be developed to meet those needs. A needs assessment can increase the usefulness of a programme and the likelihood that it will be engaged with, because the need for it has been validated by the population it will serve. A needs assessment can also improve the use of limited resources by effectively focusing services on priority need areas. A needs assessment should be conducted prior to the development of a new programme or before making programme changes.¹

How to perform a needs assessment

The following stages outline how to prepare for and perform a needs assessment.^2,3  

1. Lay the foundation

• Form the project team
• Engage with stakeholders
• Identify decision makers
• Assess available resources

2. Determine the scope

• Define the target population
• Clarify the purpose and objectives
• Determine questions about the needs of the target population

Needs assessment questions might include:

• What are the primary needs of the population? (e.g., physical, mental, emotional, social, and environmental concerns)
• Who is the most in need?
• How can these needs be addressed?

3. Identify data needs

• Identify the data required to fulfil objectives and questions
• Select appropriate data collection methods
• Find and review any pre-existing sources of data (secondary data) to answer questions when possible

4. Collect and analyse data

• Collect and analyse primary data (i.e., data you collected)
• Collect and analyse secondary data
• Synthesise data and interpret findings to draw conclusions

5. Prioritise needs and disseminate findings

• Share findings with stakeholders and decision makers
• Determine priority need areas to address

6. Act on findings

• Develop an evidence-based programme to address prioritised needs
• Use findings to inform future programming decisions, improve services, and reduce health inequities

While the stages of a needs assessment may, at first glance, seem chronological, you may find that this process is not strictly linear. There could be several components that need to be completed simultaneously or revisited multiple times.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has created a full guide on how to complete a needs assessment which is available on Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Improvement Hub website.

Additional resources

For more information on needs assessments, visit the resources below or contact evaluation@greo.ca to see how GREO can help.

• Community Health Assessment Toolkit (American Hospital Association)
• Video series on Conducting a community needs assessment (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute) 
• Community health workers and interventions for problem gambling needs assessment (Massachusetts Department of Public Health)
• Strategy to Prevent and Minimize Gambling Harm needs assessment (New Zealand Ministry of Health)