ABSTRACT
This chapter is a comprehensive reference manual providing information on the Northwick Park Care Needs Assessment (NPCNA), which is derived from the NPDS and is a clinician rating scale to which a computerized algorithm is applied to provide a directly costable measure of care needs across a wide range of dependency. It was designed for people living in the community with acquired brain impairment, and has been used with people with stroke and traumatic brain injury, as well as with older people in care settings. A brief history of the instrument's development is provided, along with a description of item content and administration/scoring procedures. Psychometric properties are reviewed and a critical commentary is provided. Key references are cited and in most cases the actual scale is included, giving the reader easy access to the instrument.
