ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the meaning, underlying assumptions and possible applications of health-needs assessment to populations in primary health care. The concepts and interrelationships between need, demand and supply, as well as the implications for evaluation of health care, are discussed. The various sources of information that can be accessed by nurses in primary health care to carry out health-needs profiles are outlined in terms of their usefulness, advantages and limitations. This includes a discussion of mortality and morbidity measures, population information, deprivation indicators, health surveys and service utilisation data.
