Lessons learned from an occupational therapy programme needs assessment

Background: A needs assessment identifies the differences between actual and ideal situations to facilitate the development of a new programme or improve existing services. Objectives: This article shares our experiences conducting the needs assessment in a context where people had limited or no understanding of the need being assessed. Method: Adhering to a three-phase model – comprising pre-assessment, assessment, and post-assessment – we employed diverse data collection methods, including quantitative survey, qualitative interviews, and environmental scan. Results: The findings underscored the necessity of expanding rehabilitation services in Ethiopia, with a shift from a purely medical focus to addressing issues associated with daily functioning and community engagement. These issues align closely with the core expertise and responsibilities of occupational therapists. Participants expressed support for the introduction of occupational therapy in Ethiopia and willingness to incorporate the practice of occupational therapists in their settings. The challenges encountered were how to ask about occupational therapy when it is not well known by members of the local population and how to introduce the profession without biasing participants’ responses. Conclusion: Conducting a needs assessment was critical to developing occupational therapy services in Ethiopia. We welcome others to learn from our experiences. Contribution: This manuscript details the assessment process and delves into the challenges we encountered and lessons learned. It extends methodological suggestions to inform future evaluations and contributes valuable insights to the broader discourse on needs assessment and programme development in a context where people have limited awareness of services, such as occupational therapy.