Information needs in public health and health policy: Results of recent studies

O’Carroll, Patrick W.; Cahn, Marjorie A.; Auston, Ione; Selden, Catherine R.

doi:10.1007/bf02344508

Cited by 26 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Yet the volume of the literature often overwhelms both clinicians and health system decisionmakers. 2,3 End-users of MEDLINE and other large bibliographic databases have difficulty executing precise searches 2,3 and are often unaware of what kind of information to seek, where to find it 3,4 and how to judge its quality. 3 HSR has been defined as the scientific study of the effect of health care delivery; the organization and management of health care access, quality, cost and financing; and the evaluation of the impact of health services and technology (Allmang NA, Koonce TY.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal search strategies for detecting health services research studies in MEDLINE

Wilczynski

Haynes²,

Lavis³

et al. 2004

Canadian Medical Association Journal

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W ith the increasing emphasis on "using evidence" and "value for money" in health services, it is essential that researchers, clinicians, health system managers and public policy-makers be able to retrieve relevant, high-quality reports of health services research (HSR). Efficiently retrieved research evidence can aid in decisionmaking about which services to provide and in the resource allocation decisions to support those services, reducing the need for arbitrary decisions and aiding collaboration with clinicians and consumers.1 MEDLINE is a huge and expanding bibliographic resource that is freely available to all with Internet access. Yet the volume of the literature often overwhelms both clinicians and health system decisionmakers. 2,3 End-users of MEDLINE and other large bibliographic databases have difficulty executing precise searches 2,3 and are often unaware of what kind of information to seek, where to find it 3,4 and how to judge its quality. 3HSR has been defined as the scientific study of the effect of health care delivery; the organization and management of health care access, quality, cost and financing; and the evaluation of the impact of health services and technology (Allmang NA, Koonce TY. Health services research topic searches. Bethesda [MD]: National Library of Medicine; 2000. Unpublished report). More recently, HSR has been defined as the multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care and, ultimately, health and well-being.5 HSR articles constitute only a tiny fraction of the MEDLINE database and are spread through a large number of journals; hence, MEDLINE searching is challenging. Conversely, journal browsing is impractical as a means of retrieving all relevant studies for a given question or staying abreast of the literature. Our aim was to develop methodologic search filters for MEDLINE to enable endusers to efficiently retrieve articles of relevance to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and the appropriateness, process, outcomes, cost and economics of health services. MethodsWe compared the retrieval performance of methodologic search terms and phrases in MEDLINE with a manual review of each article in each issue of 68 journal titles for the year 2000 for the study categories of appropriateness, process assessment, outcome assessment, CPGs, cost and economics of care. Search termsCandidate content and methodologic terms (text words and Medical Subject Headings [MeSH] [exploded and nonexploded], publication types) were compiled by reviewing "gold standard" articles and their MEDLINE indexing, the definitions in Table 1 and the criteria in Table 2; by consulting experts in bibliographic database searching for HSR topics (mainly health sciences librari- rently thinly spread through many journals, making it difficult for health services researchers, managers and policy-makers to fin...

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal search strategies for detecting health services research studies in MEDLINE

Wilczynski

Haynes²,

Lavis³

et al. 2004

Canadian Medical Association Journal

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“…In 1998, public health professionals were asking for information systems that supported scheduling and calendar management[41]. Our study shows the need for integrated support of those activities still exists thirteen years later.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scenario-based design: A method for connecting information system design with public health operations and emergency management

Reeder

Turner

2011

Journal of Biomedical Informatics

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Responding to public health emergencies requires rapid and accurate assessment of workforce availability under adverse and changing circumstances. However, public health information systems to support resource management during both routine and emergency operations are currently lacking. We applied scenario-based design as an approach to engage public health practitioners in the creation and validation of an information design to support routine and emergency public health activities. Methods: Using semi-structured interviews we identified the information needs and activities of senior public health managers of a large municipal health department during routine and emergency operations. Results: Interview analysis identified twenty-five information needs for public health operations management. The identified information needs were used in conjunction with scenario-based design to create twenty-five scenarios of use and a public health manager persona. Scenarios of use and persona were validated and modified based on follow-up surveys with study participants. Scenarios were used to test and gain feedback on a pilot information system. Conclusion: The method of scenario-based design was applied to represent the resource management needs of senior-level public health managers under routine and disaster settings. Scenario-based design can be a useful tool for engaging public health practitioners in the design process and to validate an information system design.

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“…However, this surge in surveillance capacity has produced more complex and disparate data, leading to new discussions about data sharing and interoperability, data confidentiality, and strategies for managing redundancies as well as incomplete data [1, 17, 29, 43-46]. For example, public health practitioners and researchers are faced with integrating diverse data sources such as mortality data (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualization and analytics tools for infectious disease epidemiology: A systematic review

Carroll

Detwiler

et al. 2014

Journal of Biomedical Informatics

203

171

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Background A myriad of new tools and algorithms have been developed to help public health professionals analyze and visualize the complex data used in infectious disease control. To better understand approaches to meet these users' information needs, we conducted a systematic literature review focused on the landscape of infectious disease visualization tools for public health professionals, with a special emphasis on geographic information systems (GIS), molecular epidemiology, and social network analysis. The objectives of this review are to: (1) Identify public health user needs and preferences for infectious disease information visualization tools; (2) Identify existing infectious disease information visualization tools and characterize their architecture and features; (3) Identify commonalities among approaches applied to different data types; and (4) Describe tool usability evaluation efforts and barriers to the adoption of such tools. Methods We identified articles published in English from January 1, 1980 to June 30, 2013 from five bibliographic databases. Articles with a primary focus on infectious disease visualization tools, needs of public health users, or usability of information visualizations were included in the review. Results A total of 88 articles met our inclusion criteria. Users were found to have diverse needs, preferences and uses for infectious disease visualization tools, and the existing tools are correspondingly diverse. The architecture of the tools was inconsistently described, and few tools in the review discussed the incorporation of usability studies or plans for dissemination. Many studies identified concerns regarding data sharing, confidentiality and quality. Existing tools offer a range of features and functions that allow users to explore, analyze, and visualize their data, but the tools are often for siloed applications. Commonly cited barriers to widespread adoption included lack of organizational support, access issues, and misconceptions about tool use. Discussion and Conclusion As the volume and complexity of infectious disease data increases, public health professionals must synthesize highly disparate data to facilitate communication with the public and inform decisions regarding measures to protect the public's health. Our review identified several themes: consideration of users' needs, preferences, and computer literacy; integration of tools into routine workflow; complications associated with understanding and use of visualizations; and the role of user trust and organizational support in the adoption of these tools. Interoperability also emerged as a prominent theme, highlighting challenges associated with the increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of infectious disease control and prevention. Future work should address methods for representing uncertainty and missing data to avoid misleading users as well as strategies to minimize cognitive overload.

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Information needs in public health and health policy: Results of recent studies

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

Optimal search strategies for detecting health services research studies in MEDLINE

Optimal search strategies for detecting health services research studies in MEDLINE

Scenario-based design: A method for connecting information system design with public health operations and emergency management

Visualization and analytics tools for infectious disease epidemiology: A systematic review

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