Mary J. Nielubowicz Essay Award. Population-based needs assessment in the design of patient education programs

The population-based needs assessment discussed in this paper was conducted as part of a larger study evaluating the status of the patient and family education program at a military treatment facility. The purpose of the assessment was to describe the congruence of patient epidemiologically defined educational needs with patient education program offerings. A seven-step theoretical framework for conducting population-based needs assessments by Declercq, Bichell, and Center guided data collection and data analysis. Results of the analysis were used to provide evidence-based guidance to the military treatment facility's Executive Steering Council on improving patient health care outcomes through redesign and institutionalization of the patient education program. The population-based needs assessment provides a viable avenue for delineation of disease patterns, prioritization of health education needs, and design of effective patient education, health promotion, and disease prevention programs in support of the Department of Defense Military Health System Optimization Plan.