STEP 7: EVALUATE THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

MODEL ORAL HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT

STEP 1 IDENTIFY PARTNERS AND FORM ADVISORY COMMITTEE

STEP 7 EVALUATE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

STEP 2 CONDUCT SELF-ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE GOALS AND RESOURCES

STEP 6 PRIORITIZE ISSUES AND REPORT FINDINGS

STEP 3 PLAN THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

UTILIZE NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR PROGRAM PLANNING, ADVOCACY, AND EDUCATION

CORE

OPTIONAL
(choose optional data elements to supplement core)

CONDUCT INVENTORY OF AVAILABLE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA DETERMINE NEED FOR PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION IDENTIFY RESOURCES SELECT METHODS DEVELOP WORK PLAN

STEP 5 ORGANIZE AND ANALYZE DATA

STEP 4 COLLECT DATA

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STEP 7: EVALUATE THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

To evaluate the needs assessment project, the following series of questions should be answered. They emphasize the structure, process and outcome (similar to quality assurance) of the needs assessment. Have you accomplished what you had planned in STEP 2 (developing program goals and self-assessment [Worksheet 2]) and STEP 3 (planning the needs assessment [Worksheet 3])? What would you do differently next time? If other problems surfaced which can be addressed through needs assessment, what steps are you planning to take to address those concerns? Through the needs assessment process, have you developed an oral health coalition with similar goals and objectives that can be helpful in diminishing oral disease?

Two other issues should be remembered in the evaluation process. The needs assessment activity should have sought information not only from professionals, but also from the public, particularly individuals and/or groups who can provide unique insight on ethnic and cultural issues. Secondly, whenever possible, a family-centered, community-based approach should be considered. Both of these topics are sometimes neglected during the process. Oral health personnel should make certain that they are not overlooked. Hopefully, the results of the entire seven-step process proved useful to restructure or refine your oral health program. Such needs assessment not only can provide invaluable data, but it also facilitates coordinating efforts with others who share similar goals. The end result should demonstrate what problems still exist, what additional information is still needed and where preventive and corrective programs should be targeted. All the information should then be incorporated into a shortand long-term oral health plan. Subsequent oral health needs assessments should allow the oral health program to collect additional primary data rather than just rely on secondary findings. This means the dental programs, when possible, should continue moving to the right side of Worksheet 3 with each needs assessment. When your program does reach the right side of this table, it is still important to further refine and validate the instruments and measures used. Also, the public should continue to be asked about their understanding of oral diseases and conditions and their relative importance to overall good health.

Did you do what you had intended? What would you do differently the next time?
Three evaluation checklists are provided. The first restates your priorities from Worksheet 2 and helps determine if they were accomplished. The second evaluation focuses on completion of the core and selected optional data items and asks which method you would use next time. The third evaluation checklist asks questions addressing landmarks along the way. Most of these questions, which follow the seven steps of the oral health needs assessment, relate to process rather than outcome. This last evaluation checklist is helpful in maintaining a historical perspective to the needs assessment.

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EVALUATION CHECKLIST I
WORKSHEET 2 ITEMS Fulfill the requirements of the MCH Block Grant Network with other programs/ agencies/organizations Build a constituency for oral health issues Establish baseline data Update existing data Prioritize programs Justify budget Increase visibility of program in agency Target resources to specific populations Fulfill expectations of administration/legislature Monitor compliance with legal requirements Publish findings in professional journal(s) Educate decision makers Collect data in a timely fashion Collect valid/reliable data Generalize findings to target population Evaluate existing programs Other ORIGINAL SCORE For those items originally scored as either 4 or 5, did the needs assessment accomplish this intent? Any pertinent comments?

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EVALUATION CHECKLIST II
Data Items/Types of Information (Worksheet 3) CORE 1. Description of population 2. % of children with untreated decay 3. % of children with caries experience 4. % of people served by community water systems with optimal fluoride 5. % of children with sealant on 1+ permanent teeth 6. # of dental providers in a state (by county or other division) Did you accomplish this (Y/N)? Needs Assessment Method Used Would you recommend using this method for the next needs assessment? Any other pertinent comments relating to this data item/type of information?

7. dentist participation in Medicaid program (number participating and level of participation) 8. # (%) of children under age 19 years at or below 200% of FPL who receive preventive dental services 9. Description of public resources for dental care 10. % children that have visited a dentist during the previous year 11. Perceived oral health needs of consumers and their assessment of accessibility, acceptability and appropriateness of oral health care received OPTIONAL

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EVALUATION CHECKLIST III Questions that don't conform to a Yes/No response are indicated by an asterisk (*).
QUESTION YES NO COMMENTS

STEP 1: Identify Partners / Form Advisory Committee Did the majority of the Advisory Committee serve an active role throughout the needs assessment? Were members asked and willing to assist in the collection of data? What specific issues did the dental health program address that had not been part of their programmatic activities previously? (*) Did the Advisory Committee consist of appropriate representatives (i.e., for MCH) consumers; advocates for children with special health needs; other health disciplines; and maternal and child health programs? Were the minutes from the Advisory Committee meetings shared with other interested parties (e.g., MCH director, dental organizations)? Was the Maternal and Child Health program given adequate opportunity to coordinate efforts in collecting mutually beneficial information? Did the dental health staff have an opportunity to provide input into the process? Was the size of the Advisory Committee manageable? Did the Advisory Committee feel that they had ownership of the needs assessment project?

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QUESTION

YES

NO

COMMENTS

Did the dental program staff feel that they had ownership of the needs assessment project?

Approximately how many new organizations did the staff meet during the process? (*) Which of these do you plan to work with collaboratively on other projects? (*)

Were you (dental director and staff) and the Advisory Committee realistic about the expectations of the needs assessment?

Have local health departments asked for your cooperation in conducting a needs assessment for their community? How prepared are you to participate in this activity? (*) Have you offered it?

STEP 2: Conduct Self-Assessment to Determine Goals

Did you periodically return to Worksheet 2 to remind yourself of the goals?

Which goals were re-ranked because of the return to Worksheet 2? (*)

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QUESTION STEP 3: Plan the Needs Assessment Of the core data items Which were successfully collected? Why? (*) Which were not successfully collected? Why? (*)

YES

NO

COMMENTS

Of the optional data items Which were successfully collected? Why? (*) Which were not successfully collected? Why? (*)

Were the timelines reasonable?

Were the estimates of human resources reasonable

Step 4: Collect Data

Were you able to collect some information for all of the core items?

Did data collection for some of the optional items come at the expense of seeking information about core data items?

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QUESTION STEP 5: Organize and Analyze Data If you collected primary data, did you have input from an expert in sample design and statistical analysis? Were these people involved at the outset of the project?

YES

NO

COMMENTS

STEP 6: Report Findings

Who did you report the findings to? (*)

Have specific findings and recommendations from the needs assessment been clearly articulated to appropriate interested parties?

Has the dental director met with the Maternal and Child Health director or representative to review these findings?

Have the dental director and Maternal and Child Health director determined which findings should be incorporated into the Block Grant application?

How was this determination made? (*)

What would have influenced other dental health findings to be incorporated into this document? (*)

To what other professional organizations have you communicated the findings? (*)

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QUESTION Did you produce a separate oral health needs assessment document?

YES

NO

COMMENTS

Of those data elements not collected during this cycle of the needs assessment, what arrangements have been made to complete these activities? (*)

Have external reviewers been asked to review and comment about the needs assessment process and findings?

What would you do differently to improve the needs assessment process? (*)

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