A pharmaceutical needs assessment in a primary care setting

Background. As part of a reconfiguration of its general medical services, A rdach Health Centre has integrated a community pharmacist into the centre t o provide pharmaceutical care. In order to systematically identify areas of 'pharmaceutical need', a needs assessment was carried out during October 1 997. Aim. To prioritise and assist the planning of pharmaceutical care provision within the centre, such that maximum gain could be achieved from inevitabl e limited resources. Method. A four-stage pharmaceutical needs assessment method was created aro und a selection of techniques: gap analysis, the nominal group technique, a nd rapid participatory appraisal. This was then applied to a random sample of people drawn from the patient register of Ardach Health Centre and all t he health care professionals associated with their care. Results. Through the four-stage process, a pharmaceutical service priority league table was constructed to reflect the unmet pharmaceutical needs of p atients and their primary health care providers. The table provided a struc tured framework around which pharmaceutical service provision within the he alth centre could be planned. Conclusion: We have developed a pragmatic, systematic method of identifying the prevalence of unmet pharmaceutical needs of a community. The assessmen t assisted service selection, balancing what should be done with what could be done and what could be afforded.