Original scientific paper
HEALTH STATUS AND HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT – STATE OF THE ART OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE IN CROATIA
SILVIJE VULETIĆ
orcid.org/0000-0002-0620-8107
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
SELMA ŠOGORIĆ
orcid.org/0000-0002-2314-2146
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
ĐULIJA MALATESTINIĆ
; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
IVANA BOŽIČEVIĆ
; Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Public health practice performance is measured through its three core functions, i.e. assessment, policy development and assurance.
We describe the existing health status and health care needs assessment practices in the Republic of Croatia. Health care
needs assessment in Croatia includes mortality and morbidity information available through vital records but does not include
community input (opinion and attitude) and participation. Health needs are not analyzed in order to determine the causes of health
problems. Analysis of health needs of the population groups at highest risk also does not exist. Resources assessment is not part
of the process, so we do not know how adequate the existing health resources are. In the Croatian health care system practice,
the assessment function is limited through the almost exclusive use of the routine health and demographic statistics. Academic
public health has introduced other kinds of more participative, subgroups oriented, qualitative methodologies but in daily routine,
these methods are hardly used. Since health needs assessment is one of the core public health functions, in the future its practice has to be reoriented from pure monitoring towards identifying and solving community health problems. Partnership with community has to be a cornerstone for more efficient health needs assessment practice. In the light of previous statement, we present and discuss new trends in the assessment practice in Croatia, i.e. revision of routine health data collection, ways of performing intervention aimed health surveys, naturalistic approach in health needs assessment, and health needs research of population groups at highest risk.
Keywords
function of assessment; public health; qualitative paradigm
Hrčak ID:
118751
URI
Publication date:
29.3.2014.
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