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Making HEA More Rapid
Q: Why do a full HEA if you can just do a faster, cheaper rapid assessment?
A. Rapid HEAs should not be a first-choice type of assessment because they require significant compromises in the level of detail collected and almost invariably also require some compromises in the reliability of the data because the reduced data-set and number of interviews means there are fewer opportunities for cross-checking the information. Also, with a standard HEA baseline, you can re-use it year after year and the short term investment in gathering baseline data pays off over the long run. However it is not recommended to re-use the baseline gathered in a rapid assessment, and therefore the return on the investment in a rapid assessment over the long term is not high.
Q: Are rapid assessments the same as emergency assessments?
A. In practice, yes, the vast majority of rapid assessments are carried out in emergencies. At times they are carried out in non-emergencies because of a lack of resources to carry out a full assessment. This is far from ideal however, and the rapid assessment in that situation should be used to try to leverage more funds for a full assessment.
