Needs and needs assessment: their components and definitions with reference to dementia

The concept of need and the practice of needs assessment are both subject to a wide range of interpretations, to the likely detriment of individual assessments and to multidisciplinary working. Clear definition is important for individual assessment, for the development of multidisciplinary tools and in gathering planning information. The concept of need is clarified, firstly by distinguishing between need and the difficulties that engender it, and secondly through a taxonomy of need. These assist clear definitions of both need and needs assessment when linked with a consideration of the current help a person receives and a specification of the type of help required by a person to meet their needs. Such definitions have implications for the role of needs assessment in individual assessment, service evaluation, service management and planning and in the development of multidisciplinary needs assessment tools.     

How do people interpret information about colorectal cancer screening: observations from a think‐aloud study

Background

The English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme biennially invites individuals aged 60–74 to participate in screening. The booklet, ‘Bowel Cancer Screening: The Facts'' accompanies this invitation. Its primary aim is to inform potential participants about the aims, advantages and disadvantages of colorectal cancer screening.

Objective

To provide detailed commentary on how individuals process the information contained within ‘The Facts’ booklet.

Design, setting and participants

This study comprised of 18 interviews with individuals aged 45–60 and used a ‘think‐aloud’ paradigm in which participants read aloud the booklet. Participant utterances (verbal statements made in response to researcher‐led prompts) were transcribed and analysed using a combination of content and thematic analysis.

Results

A total of 776 coded utterances were analysed (mean = 43.1 per person; range = 8–95). While overall comprehension was satisfactory, several problem areas were identified such as the use of complex unfamiliar terminology and the presentation of numerical information. Specific sections such as colonoscopy risk information evoked negative emotional responses. Participants made several suggestions for ways in which comprehension might be improved.

Conclusion

Public perceptions of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme information materials indicated that specific aspects of the booklet were difficult to process. These materials may be an appropriate target to improve public understanding of the aims, benefits and disadvantages of colorectal cancer screening. These findings will contribute to a broader NIHR‐funded project that aims to design a supplementary ‘gist‐based’ information leaflet suitable for low literacy populations.     

Schizophrenia: a review of the contemporary literature and implications for mental health nursing theory, practice and education

Contemporary research in the aetiology, neuropsychology and epidemiology of schizophrenia is reviewed. The picture coming from this work is of a group of brain diseases of neurodevelopmental origin which manifest themselves in a variety of ways. In turn, there are a range of cognitive deficits associated with the schizophrenias which may, in the extreme, produce major functional handicap. This new knowledge has obvious implications for nurse education and a priority is to place this in undergraduate programmes. However, more importantly, it is argued that we need to alter conceptual frameworks. For example, in some cases we should care for people with schizophrenia in the same way as one would care for an individual suffering the after-effects of a head injury. In the more severe forms of the illness we should take into account the probability that our patients may have significant problems of memory and attention, and thus modify interventions accordingly. It seems clear that our current nursing theories are not underpinned by relevant knowledge of the nature of schizophrenia and this problem warrants urgent attention.