摘要：Needs assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions or "wants". The discrepancy between the current condition and desired condition must be measured to appropriately to identify the need. The need can be a desire to improve prevalent deficiencies. A needs assessment is an important part of the planning process, often used for improvement in individuals, education/training, organizations, or communities. It can refine and improve a prevalent situation or service. It can be an effective tool to clarify problems and identify appropriate interventions or solutions. By clearly identifying the problem finite resources can be directed towards developing and implementing a feasible and applicable solution. Gathering appropriate and sufficient data informs the process of developing an favorable condition that will address the communities needs and wants. This paper provides a brief introduction on methodological considerations in community needs assessment and its significance. Needs assessments are important tools for community development. They can have important impacts on policy-making decisions, provided they are carried out well and results are disseminated effectively. There are many different methodologies that can be used to conduct an assessment. It is also possible to conduct assessments on various subgroups of a community as opposed to the whole community. However, the importance of using an organized approach in any assessment cannot be overemphasized, regardless of whose needs are assessed and how they are assessed one's approach to conducting an assessment, and it will also provide useful resources for one interested in doing an assessment in the future.
