What Is a Long-Term Strategy?
A need is something that is required for an organism to survive. Needs are different from desires. In the case of desires, a lack of something causes an obvious harmful outcome: a defect or premature death. On the other hand, a need requires a more complex analysis because it is not quite clear what is meant by “a need.”
People’s perspectives about healthcare issues differ because they have different understandings of what they mean by ‘a need.’ To a physician, a need could be a serious problem and require immediate attention. For a layperson, however, healthcare issues are usually treated on a case-by-case basis. It is important to be fully aware of what your healthcare needs are so that you can make informed decisions about your treatment. The following paragraphs describe some of the more common concepts in healthcare.
A healthcare need is ‘a need’ when the body doesn’t have the resources (means) to provide or attain what the person needs, even at a minimal cost. This concept is the foundation of the ‘HHS’ or Health Services Assessment. The primary objective of a healthcare needs assessment is to provide a ‘needs assessment,’ which refers to a comprehensive listing of all known health services that people need or would require, and the means by which they can acquire them. This is considered the first step in designing a health care plan.
In most cases, once the needs assessment has been completed, the resulting list is used to develop a long-term strategy to ensure that people get the healthcare services that they need and at reasonable costs. However, since the methods used in the needs assessment are not entirely accurate, it is sometimes necessary to revise these health care needs assessments on an ongoing basis. This is why there are professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Retired Persons, and the American College of Rheumatology that provide support for health care needs assessments.
What is meant by a long-term strategy is not just a series of short-term solutions, but a system-wide approach that ensure that the needs of those living in a community are properly met through a comprehensive health care plan. This approach is implemented through the use of health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical personnel, community organizations, employers, and government officials. All parties involved in health care have an interest in seeing that all health care needs are satisfied, through a coordinated and comprehensive health care plan. This is why it is especially important to use the services of a health care provider who can conduct health needs assessments, when needed. These professionals have the necessary experience and training to make sure that a health needs assessment is conducted and provide the results needed in developing a plan of action. They can look into your health history and determine the health service and other resources that you need in order to meet your current and future needs.
The health services of these professionals should include access to a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals, including specialists, nurses, physicians, and other licensed healthcare providers, and the support they need to implement and maintain a coordinated health services delivery system. When you work with the health professionals conducting a needs assessment, make sure you fully understand their role. You may be at a point in your life where you need help determining what your basic health needs are and how you can meet them. In these times of increasing costs of health care and limited resources, it is important to invest in your health and the health services you need to keep you healthy. It is never too early to start planning for the future.