Identifying Health Needs in Peru Through Use of a Community Survey

Students and faculty from a Midwestern college conducted a neighborhood community needs assessment in an impoverished area of a Peruvian city to identify health needs of residents. Students interviewed residents in their homes, asking about the need for medical, dental, and ophthalmic care and screening for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and tuberculosis. The survey provided necessary information to medical mission workers and allowed students to directly observe family living conditions while assessing psychosocial needs of the families interviewed. The challenges of this survey included differing expectations, language barriers, recruiting neighborhood volunteers, safety risks to students, and mistrust by neighborhood residents.