An empowerment approach to needs assessment in health visiting practice

Abstract

This paper examines the usefulness of an integrated approach to needs assessment using an empowerment framework, within a health visitor/client interaction, in the home setting. It is intended to demonstrate the existence of a flexible approach to assessing need that is based on research about necessary processes for carrying out health visiting. The design of the tool described in this paper allows the use of professional judgement as well as fulfilling commissioning requirements to address health outcomes. Health promotion and empowerment are central to health visiting practice and should be reflected in the way needs are assessed. Many NHS trusts have introduced a system of targeting and prioritizing health visiting through a system of questioning to assess needs. This may reveal the work that health visitors do, but may also inhibit the open, listening approach required for client empowerment. Different methods of assessing need can be used that do not compromise the commissioning requirements, the health visitor's duty of care or professional accountability. The empowerment approach is key to the philosophy of health visiting. There are ways of approaching needs assessment that do not compromise the ethos of partnership-working in a health promoting way.

Images of health among hospital patients in Jordan: A qualitative study

“…These elements are against the thesis of selfempowerment ideology and thus heath promotion. [40][41] In addition to the lack of support at a national level (e.g. free treatment), the extended family as a support and burden system might add further economic constraints on the shoulder of patients.…”

Real world challenges in delivering person-centred care: A community-based case study

“…Finding out what is important to the patient leads to personalised care, improves the quality of the patient-nurse relationship and determines how therapeutic the encounter will be (ibid). This may mean nurses setting aside previously held treatment goals (Fackler et al 2015) in favour of a medically less satisfactory outcome that better meets the needs of the patient at the time (Houston and Cowley 2002) as happened here.…”

Does nursing research impact on policy? A case study of health visiting research and UK health policy

“…The New Birth Visit (CPHVA, 2008) CPHVA Research related to the functions of the new birth visit and the role of the health visitor Chalmers, 1993Chalmers, , 1994De la Cuesta, 1994;Vehvilainen-Julkunen, 1994;Cowley, 1995;Falk-Rafael, 2001;Houston and Cowley, 2002;Appleton and Cowley, 2003;Mitcheson and Cowley, 2003) Generally qualitative, survey and observational Improving the nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children in low-income households (NICE, 2008)…”