ABSTRACT
It is a very daunting task to create a coherent needs assessment methodology built on both objective and subjective definitions of need which will take into account community diversity as well as the central issue of inequality. This case study shows that RPA which can bring together the professional view and the users’ view (which focuses on the consequences of disease and social need in everyday life) is an appropriate method to use. However, needs assessment cannot be divorced from issues of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, priority setting and the uneasy balance between individual or population health gain.
