The needs assessment checklist: a clinical approach to measuring outcome

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of the Needs Assessment and Goal Plannin g Programme used in the rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries. The Needs Assessment Programme incorporates a behavioural indicator rating scale to detail the individual's progress and rehabilitation needs. This c an also be used to evaluate the outcome of the rehabilitation programme in general. The Needs Assessment Checklist (NAC) forms part of the programme a nd is a tool which is used to evaluate rehabilitation outcome. Setting: A purpose built, national spinal injuries centre in the United Kin gdom. Subjects: 82 patients who had completed the Needs Assessment Checklist, bot h at the beginning and towards the end of the rehabilitative process. Results: Independence, as measured by the Checklist, was significantly grea ter in all domains at the time of the second Needs Assessment. Conclusions: The Needs Assessment and Goal Planning Programme is successful in establishing greater client independence, whether assessed at a verbal or physical level. Team members have used the Needs Assessment Checklist as a behavioural indicator of rehabilitation outcome based on available stand ards of rehabilitative care. Further development of the Needs Assessment Ch ecklist now needs to focus on establishing concurrent validity and test/ret est reliability. The measure developed proved to be a useful, clinically re levant and patient friendly assessment of rehabilitation outcome.