151196 Development and application of health needs assessment tools for the disabled

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Jin Yong Lee, MD, PhD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jong-Hyock Park, MD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Sang Jun Eun, MD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Ji-Young Hong, MD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Yoon Kim, MD, PhD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Yong-Ik Kim, MD, PhD , Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
  
The purpose of this study was to develop health needs assessment tools for the disabled with impairment of extremity, brain injury, visual impairment, and auditory impairment and to apply them to assess the health needs of the disabled dwelling in Seoul. This study used consensus methods to develop health needs assessment tools. Using randomized stratified systematic sampling method for adjusting sex, age, and districts, 311 registered persons with disabilities who lived in Seoul were chosen and medical specialists investigated all subjects with the developed tools. The results are as follows; Panels developed health needs assessment tools composed of 6 types of tools for the disabled. Each tool was composed of 3 parts: flow charts for understanding tools, assessment standards consisted of 4 main categories, and chart formats for recording the assessment result. The disabled did not use medical service appropriately according to the results of health needs assessment with 4 categories of the medical intervention and operation, assistive devices, rehabilitation therapy, and regular follow-ups. Especially, the use of rehabilitation therapy and regular follow-ups were not as sufficient as the disabled were supposed to have. The results showed that medical underservices of the disabled could aggravate their general health conditions and disabilities. Besides, it was found that the disabled had unmet needs for health care. Health needs assessment tools would help us to estimate health states of the disabled and to provide appropriate medical services to the disabled.

Learning Objectives:
1. The developing process of health needs assessment tools for the disabled dwelling in Seoul, Korea. 2. Evaluating the health status and assessing the size of unmet needs of the disabled using health needs assessment tools.

Keywords: Disability, Needs Assessment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Disability, Health and Health Promotion PS 2
See more of: Disability