Disabled people and professionals differ in their perceptions of rehabilitation needs

Background This study set out to explore whether there are systematic diffe rences in unmet needs for rehabilitation services and resources as identifi ed by disabled people and nominated key professionals. Methods A cross-sectional interview survey of 87 pairs of community-dwellin g disabled people (aged 16-65) and their nominated key professionals was co nducted in southern England. The Southampton Needs Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) was used to examine unmet needs and the Office of Population Census es and Surveys (OPCS) Disability and Severity Scale to examine level of dis ability. Results Eighty-seven pairs of disabled people and their nominated key profe ssionals participated. People were severely disabled (median OPCS score 8; interquartile range 6-9). Disabled participants reported significantly more unmet needs than did professionals. There was zero concordance on identifi ed unmet needs between disabled participants and professionals in 56 per ce nt of cases. Concordance between disabled participants and professionals wa s significantly better if the disabled participant had reported more unmet needs. There was a trend for general practitioners to be poorer at reportin g disabled participants' needs than other professionals. There was fair agr eement between disabled participants and professionals in five areas of unm et need only tin descending order): adaptations, physiotherapy, equipment, assistance with 'non-care' activities and the use of a day centre. In all t he other areas of unmet need the agreement was poor. Conclusions Needs for rehabilitation services and resources (for disabled p eople) are perceived differently by disabled people and professionals. Unti l we know who is right about rehabilitation needs, it is important to deter mine both users' and providers' views when planning and commissioning servi ces.