Introduction
This Health needs Assessment in Indian Remote and Rural Areas Project work mainly focuses on the assessment of health needs in India and when it comes to the health needs assessment of our communities, especially the most thunder among us, is the communities we serve. We constantly pursue a deep understanding of health needs and carry out a strategic approach to address that priority needs Community Collaborative and Partnerships.
- Health Care Issues of the Community: Prevalent health care issues and gaps in the current health services delivery in this region are described. Health status and available health services varied by community.
- Vulnerable Populations: The health care needs assessment identified persons with barriers to receiving health care services. Citizens of rural areas are a vulnerable population in general due to the lack of specialty services and the required travel to meet many health care needs and this region has no exception. Children, seniors, and non-English speaking persons face the greatest barriers due to the lack of specific services that are available for these populations. If these populations are also of low-income levels this further compounds the barriers and subsequent access to health care.
- Disparities in the Health Care Services Delivery System: Although many health care services are offered in these areas, access is influenced by a number of factors. For instance, insurance coverage, income levels, linguistic competencies, and provider and community awareness all affect people’s ability to access care.
- Health Care Resources in the Community: An assessment was accomplished through on-site interviews with providers, interviews with Advisory Panel members, and the collection of data pertaining to services in the area. This assessment created an inventory of health care services available in the Local Health Care Initiative region.
- Next Steps: The project team along with the Advisory Panel will develop a framework and a process for transitioning to Phase of the Local Health Care Initiative.
- Data-driven needs assessment
- Methodical approach to addressing the needs
- Continual measurement and evaluation
The following are the major health issues that emerged from all statistics:
- Oral Health Care – the lack of dental care providers for low-income residents
- Substance and Alcohol Abuse – treatment options are needed for acute detox episodes
- Childhood and Adult Immunization Rates – compliance with childhood and adult immunization requirements (Influenza and Pneumonia)
- Obesity and Diabetes – the incidence of Obesity and Diabetes is high throughout the region
Further health issues were noted either in the health statistics results:
- The lack of cancer screening services
- The incidence of cancer in the region
- Mental health treatment options – especially crisis intervention requiring inpatient services
The Project team is focusing on the following health care issues as a “priority” (these are not ranked by importance) :
- Outreach to Community and Providers
- Substance Abuse Treatment
- Mental Health Services
- The Dental Care for Underserved Populations
- Educating on the availability of prenatal care/birth control
- Non-emergent Medical Transportation
- Senior Services
- Underinsured and uninsured Populations in the Region
Research Objectives:
- To provide an illustrative analysis of the data collected in the survey through a questionnaire.
- Identifying the health needs and the challenges in India.
- Assess clinical demand and estimate the willingness of the public to pay for health services.
Research Methodology:
Methodology
The researcher will use exploratory research using phenomenology and triangulation to investigate the various health needs in India to develop a suitable framework for increasing the health standards of the population. The researcher will use secondary data to evaluate and understand the trends in health care, tools, techniques, and equipment available at present. Additionally, study and investigate the changing trends in populations and the factors.
The researcher will interview NGOs, populations of remote and rural areas, Hospital and government health department officials personally with differently structured questionnaires. The researcher is of the view that targeting a minimum of 10 remote and rural areas for the research is important in the collection of primary data. At the second level of data collection discussion with a focus group of various related organizations is to be conducted using a structured questionnaire to understand the use of technology, government initiatives, and Ngo’s contributions. Further at this stage understand investigate and assess the health needs.
Sources of Secondary Data and Information of this Research.
The researcher will collect secondary data on the Indian remote villages, from government sources, trade journals, research firms, and NGOs to assess the outcome of the research in terms of the objective set herein. The internet will be surfed along with digital libraries and websites of research firms such as McKinsey to collect secondary data keeping in mind to ensure the credibility and validity of the information collected.