Importance Of Needs Assessment

Introduction
The aim of this assignment is to discuss the importance of needs assessment in nursing practice. Relevant literature will be used to further explore the significance of personal centred care, consistency and standards to work by whilst highlighting how an understanding of his core needs will help the multidisciplinary team to provide effective care. Carl is a 68-year-old man who has gone in for an appointment at the (see appendix 1 for patient scenario) is the case study that has been chosen and will be further looked into. The essay will identify all the assessments that the patient needs and all the tools that could be used will be mentioned. One priority tool will be selected and will be applied to the case study. The paper will conclude by highlighting the experience of the nurse using the assessment tool whilst working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team in relation to needs assessment.

Heath (2001) said that assessment is the process of gathering information about a patient which entails care. It is an ongoing process of identifying bodily and mental needs and setting short / long term goals according to priority. Pearson et al (2005) suggested that assessment aims to establish level of dependence or independence considering activities of daily living (ADLs). Roper et al 1996‘s model of assessment tool appendix 2 was used as it provides a framework in which best decisions were based and appropriate guidance of care process. The model enables appropriate interventions and documentation of records of achievements and outcomes (Dougherty and Lister 2004). According to the Data Protection Act 1988 and the professional code of conduct any data that is collected by the nurses is essential and should be kept confidential. To ensure effective assessment of nursing needs the sex, name, permanent place of residence, next of keen, age are vital when collecting patient health and biographical data. This information is important to recognize the patient and to avoid possible harm when the patients’ health is a cause for concern (Roper et al, 2000, p.127).

Carl, 65 years old man has an appointment at the clinic. He is Afro- Caribbean, been married for 45 year, has 5 grown up children and 8 grand children. He is a retired bus driver, smokes 20 a day (20 pack years) and enjoys a nightcap before bed but otherwise he does not drink. His current health issues are he is becoming increasingly forgetful, losing personal item, forgetting his way home from the local supermarket , getting frustrated at unknown causes and taking it out on his wife , getting easily irritated by his grandchildren due to his inability to read stories as before as a result of no picture recognition. His wife is finding it hard to cope. The family is aware of the visit to the clinic. A Diagnosis has not been as the nurse is about to do a needs assessment.
Service users’ needs and appropriate assessment tools required
The according to Sibson L (pg39) the original Roper et al. (1980) model of nursing was based upon 12 activities of living and is seen as forming the basis of nursing in the UK. These include maintaining a safe environment, breathing, eating and drinking, elimination, mobilization, controlling body temperature, washing and dressing, sexuality, working and playing, sleeping and dying.

The nurse will be guided by the MNC guidelines on standards for documentation and record keeping (NMC, 2008). This is done as an informal interview and privacy should be insured in a clinic by finding a vacant room or drawing curtains around the bed and keep a reasonably low voice to ensure privacy. The nurse the introduces themselves to the patient and gaining consent the assessment will begin the noting down of all important details of the patient such as patient number, name, date of birth, address, contact number, detail of the general practitioner and information of the emergency contact. According to Simon et al, (2005) the

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