Objectives; The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for home care and a Home Care Need Assessment Tool. Method 1. Identifying common domains in the provision of home care. 2. Charts of 253 home care clients were reviewed to obtain a classification of the nursing diagnoses. 3. A focus group methodology was used to develop the domains. 4. The tool was applied to 439 home care clients.(Kappa value=0.460-1.000, sensitivity, 0.444-1.000: specificity, 0.743-1.000). 5. Some refinements and extractions of the defining characteristics and related factors were made based on the results of the focus group. Results Home Care Need Assessment Tool consists of three parts; -Part I : factors related to basic conditions -Part II : a screening component that enables home care nurses to assess 30 multiple domains of 53 nursing diagnoses. -Part III : summative nursing diagnoses and nursing need intensity for the clients. Conclusion This tool provides a comprehensive assessment that helps the recognition of many strengths as well as problems of the clients. It will be usefully utilized in scheduling home care nursing plans and evaluating client outcomes.