Introduction
Needs assessments are useful studies that help stakeholders identify and learn more about various social problems.
The completion of these studies can guide policymakers to formulate new policies and guide community members to address existing gaps.
Researchers need to identify available objectives and questions to inform their exercises.
The proposed assessment plan seeks to monitor the prevalence of opioid use and offer evidence-based approaches to address this health problem in a population of 65 people.
Needs Assessment
Research Question: What is the prevalence of opioid misuse in the selected population of 65 individuals?
Targeted Need: Increasing level of opioid abuse
Objectives:
- Learn more about the prevalence of opioid misuse
- Identify key risk factors and possible challenges
- Consider evidence-based approaches to utilize the results of the needs assessment exercise
Intended Information: Opioid Misuse
The proposed exercise seeks to collect useful information regarding the current problem of opioid misuse in the target population of 65 people.
Key areas to consider would include the nature of opioid misuse and the percentage of affected individuals (van Vulpen&Habeger, 2016).
The study will examine the existing gaps and how they contribute to opioid misuse.
Additional areas to consider include the sources of the available opioids in the selected region, how abusers access them, and the resources available in the community to meet their needs.
The researchers will monitor the prevalence of opioid misuse in local learning institutions and how they affect the learning process.
Possible Challenges
To complete the proposed investigation, it is necessary to be aware of these possible challenges that could emerge throughout the process:
First, some of the targeted respondents might be unwilling to provide additional information since opioid misuse has ethical and moral aspects.
Second, the unavailability of financial resources and time could make it hard for the professionals to gather adequate information in a timely manner.
Third, some of the involved community members could be unwilling to be part of the exercise, thereby affecting the quality of the final results (Klimas et al., 2019).
Fourth, the consideration of opioid use among teenagers and students could amount to an ethical dilemma since most of them are underage.
Despite the nature of these potential obstacles, the investigators will need to receive the relevant permission and encourage more people to be part of the exercise.
Utilizing Collected Evidence
Upon the successful completion of the intended study, it will be possible to consider the best approaches to utilize the collected information. Key areas for utilizing the recorded information include:
Sharing the emerging information with policymakers and stakeholders to understand the prevalence of the problem among members of the selected population. This understanding could support the formulation of additional policies to reduce the current level of access to opioids that should be available under prescription (Hudgins et al., 2019).
The emerging insights could guide school leaders and community members to launch new programs intended to address the dangers of misusing opioids.
The collected information can guide stakeholders to introduce additional strategies for controlling the ease of access and prescription for opioids.
Conclusion
Opioid misuse remains a problematic societal issue affecting the members of the identified population.
A detailed assessment plan will shed more light about the nature of this problem and how it disorients’ people’s goals.
The completion of the proposed exercise will offer additional strategies for mitigating this health issue, reducing the level of access to opioids, and supporting the introduction of superior prescription policies.
The initiative will make it possible for most of the beneficiaries to avoid such substances and be in a position to focus on their goals.
Reference
Hudgins, J. D., Porter, J. J., Monuteaux, M. C., & Bourgeois, F. T. (2019). Prescription opioid use and misuse among adolescents and young adults in the United States: A national survey study. PLoS Medicine, 16(11), 1-15. Web.
Klimas, J., Gorfinkel, L., & Fairbairn, N. (2019). Strategies to identify patient risks of prescription opioid addiction when initiating opioids for pain: A systematic review. JAMA Network Open, 2(5), 1-11. Web.
van Vulpen, K., &Habeger, A. (2016). Exploring school-based mental health needs on the Eastern shore of Maryland. ESSMHC.