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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Assessing Needs and Readiness for Mobile Health Programs

Community needs and readiness are the foundation of any successful mobile health program.

  • Needs refer to the specific service or resource gaps the mobile health program will address.
  • Readiness refers to a community’s capacity and infrastructure to implement and sustain a mobile health program.

Rural programs should begin by assessing the specific health needs within the community. For example, rural communities may determine where access is most limited. Other needs might be related to prevalent health conditions, geographic or financial barriers, and the scope of existing community resources.

Rural programs should also assess readiness for a mobile health program by evaluating operational and infrastructure capacity. Taking inventory of relevant infrastructure components will help determine if a program can be effectively launched and sustained. This includes evaluating the physical, operational, and technological elements that support implementation. For example, if a local clinic plans to operate a mobile health unit, assessing readiness might involve ensuring secure locations for service delivery, available parking, reliable Internet connectivity, and staff capacity.

To fully understand existing gaps and readiness, it is important to engage partners. This fosters shared ownership and builds trust in the program. Programs may involve a broad group of partners — such as hospitals, local public health agencies, family medicine, and primary care providers.

For more information on community readiness, please visit the Community Readiness and Engagement page in the Rural Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Toolkit.

Resources to Learn More

Community Development in Rural Health Toolkit
Website
Outlines a seven-step process to community development from needs assessments to long-term evaluation, providing tools for conducting community health needs assessments and community health needs surveys.
Organization(s): National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health