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. 1994 Mar 12;308(6930):698–700. doi: 10.1136/bmj.308.6930.698

Listening to local voices: adapting rapid appraisal to assess health and social needs in general practice.

S A Murray 1, J Tapson 1, L Turnbull 1, J McCallum 1, A Little 1
PMCID: PMC2539376  PMID: 8142796

Abstract

OBJECTIVES--To explore the use of rapid appraisal in defining the health and social needs of a community and to formulate joint action plans between the residents and service providers. DESIGN--Collection of data by an extended primary care team from three sources: existing documents about the neighbourhood, interviews with a range of informants, and direct observations to build a profile of the community. SETTING--Council estate of 670 homes in Edinburgh. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Perceived problems of the community and suggestions for change. RESULTS--The interviews and focus groups identified six priorities for change, many of which were not health related. These changes have been or are being implemented. CONCLUSIONS--An expanded primary care team can use rapid appraisal as a first step in identifying and meeting local health needs. It facilitates a multidisciplinary approach and complements quantitative methods of assessing need.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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