THE SELECTION OF NEEDS INDICATORS FOR REGIONAL RESOURCE-ALLOCATION INTHE FIELDS OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL-SERVICES IN QUEBEC

In Quebec, recent political statements have strengthened the necessity to allocate resources according to regional population needs. A regio nal-provincial working group was set up to propose needs indicators in 8 different fields-or client-oriented programs-which subdivide the en tire spectrum of health and social services in Quebec. These programs include physical health, mental health, public health, functionally im paired elderly people, physical deficiency, intellectual deficiency, a lcoholism and drug abuse and problems (abuse, neglect, delinquency) am ong young people and their families. The following paper summarizes th e main proposals of the working group. Some comments are made on the d efinition of client-oriented programs, basic concepts, research questi ons and methodological approaches. Concrete examples are given in orde r to illustrate the type of data and methods used. Furthermore, the in dicators selected for resource allocation (in each of the 8 client-ori ented programs) are presented on a regional basis (n = 18) and introdu ced in a principal component analysis. Their variations are discussed and recommendations to facilitate their use and promote their developm ent are made. Finally, the actual utilization of these indicators is r eported.