Windshield Surveys for Community Assessment: Challenges and Potential Gaps
Windshield Surveys for Community Assessment: Challenges and Potential Gaps
Discuss how a windshield survey is a solid tool for community assessment.
Discuss potential problems or downfalls of the Windshield survey; identify potential gaps in the assessment?
Windshield Surveys for Community Assessment: Challenges and Potential Gaps
A windshield survey is a community needs assessment tool. It is conducted in a moving car to get an overview of an area’s physical and social environment. It is a cost-effective research study for large geographical areas. Researchers observe the community and take photos and notes while on the move to assess the community’s needs (Brock et al., 2020). Despite these capabilities, windshield surveys are limited in some ways.
Effectiveness of Windshield Surveys
The windshield survey can provide a comprehensive overview of a community. During the observation, researchers can gather information about housing conditions, water, sanitation, built environment, and social or public recreational facilities (Brock et al., 2020). The information provides a broader view of the community’s health and needs.
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The surveys are also time-saving and cost-effective. Compared to other research methods, windshield surveys say time. The cost of research is also lower than that incurred in on-site studies, including focus-group discussions and interviews (Brock et al., 2020). Being low-cost makes windshield surveys an appropriate alternative when establishing the scope of the community’s issues.
The study approach also allows real-time observations. The researchers interact with the community virtually. They observe what the community has and what needs improvement (Brock et al., 2020). Their findings can initiate timely intervention and targeted planning.
Challenges and Potential Gaps
Despite the identified benefits, conducting community assessment using windshield surveys is associated with a few gaps and challenges. The data collected could be subjective. The information gathered from the field is based on the observers. Bias may occur due to diverse perspectives (Guin, 2019). Incorporating other data collection methods, such as photography and notetaking, is encouraged to reduce biases Windshield Surveys for Community Assessment: Challenges and Potential Gaps.
The information collected during windshield surveys also lacks depth. The researchers get an overview of a community’s physical and social environment (Guin, 2019). However, without further analysis of the number of affected or needy people, the information is inadequate to inform planning interventions.
Other issues that affect windshield surveys are safety and environmental factors. Some neighborhoods could be unsafe for the observers. Perceived insecurity in some areas may discourage researchers from collecting information, Also, weather conditions may disrupt the observations, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data (Guin, 2019).
A community assessment performed using the windshield survey could have some gaps. It could miss some issues. For example, substance abuse, mental disorders prevalence, child abuse, or domestic violence cannot be observed from a moving car. It would also be difficult for observers to capture community dynamics and social relationships (Guin, 2019). To fill in the information gaps, it would be appropriate to integrate data from other data collection approaches, including focus groups and interviews.
Conclusion
In conclusion, windshield surveys can be a practical tool for community assessment, A windshield survey allows researchers to assess the needs of a community from a vehicle. It is, therefore, an effective methodology for studying large geographical areas. It is time-saving and cost-effective. However, windshield survey data is often subjective. It is based on the observers’ perspectives. The information also lacks details that could enhance the team’s understanding of the community. It can also be challenging to use the data to plan tailored interventions. Insecurity and weather conditions can limit access to the study sites. Researchers should integrate diverse data collection methods to avert the challenges and bridge the gaps,
References
Brock, K. E., Allen, K. E., Barton, C., Weintraub, B., Wasilewski-Masker, K., Escoffery, C., & Johnson, K. A. (2020). A methodologic approach to conducting a statewide community needs assessment of pediatric palliative care and hospice resources. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 60(3), 531-538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.04.004.
Guin, N. B. (2019). Windshield and walking surveys in community health nursing. International Journal of Science and Research, 9(11), 523-525. https://doi.org/10.21275/SR201022161001 523 Windshield Surveys for Community Assessment: Challenges and Potential Gaps
