MEASUREMENT OF PROBLEM-ORIENTED NEED FOR THE PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE SERVICES - NEED FOR EXERCISE COUNSELING AS AN EXAMPLE

Based on several previous approaches, a new model for the measurement of needs for primary health care services is constructed and demonstra ted. This fourfold model includes the concepts of diagnostic need, per ceived need, client dependent demand and provider dependent demand. Th e empirical results concerning the need for exercise counseling in the primary health care indicated that the present approach is feasible a nd comprehensive enough to obtain valuable information about the healt h needs and how they are supplied. The model makes it possible to iden tify discrepancies, for example, between the experts' and clients' pri ority ratings and between the criterion-based prevalence of a problem and the practice of the care providers. It may also reveal barriers an d inequalities in the use of services. For health administrators and d ecision-makers the present problem-oriented model provides a systemati c approach to assess needs for health care services and to develop the services provided.