BARRIERS TO THE ASSESSMENT OF UNMET NEED IN PLANNING HIV AIDS-PREVENTION PROGRAMS

What are the barriers to the assessment of unmet HIV prevention needs? Ronald O. Valdiserri and Gary R. West identify four major categories of barriers to conducting comprehensive needs assessments: resource deficits, technical deficits, environmental complexity, and apprehension about expectations. Valdiserri and West discuss these barriers in terms of their implications for public health practitioners administering HIV prevention programs They observe that despite the inherent obstacles, comprehensive, methodologically sound needs assessments conducted collaboratively by the providers and consumers of HIV prevention services are essential to the development of effective prevention programs. They note that many researchers and public policy analysts have commented upon the necessity of involving the communities in need throughout the assessment process and describe two federally funded programs that provide incentives for conducting participatory, comprehensive needs assessments.