Local Health Department Accreditation Is Associated With Organizational Supports for Evidence-Based Decision Making

Allen, Peg; Mazzucca, Stephanie; Parks, Renee G.; Robinson, Mackenzie; Tabak, Rachel G.; Brownson, Ross C.

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00374

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…27 Researchers have also found that people working in accredited health departments were more likely to report that they had the ability to use evidence-based decision making within their work and had the resources and evaluation capabilities to conduct such practices. 28 Regardless of the underlying reason, and despite the growth over the past decade, our findings highlight room for improvement in whether and how much LHDs generate and use evidence to inform their service offering. Thus, an important question still remains: how to support LHDs' use of EBPs?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Generation and Use of Evidence by Local Health Departments: The Role of Leader Attributes

Hearld

Kelly

Tafili

2021

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

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Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine whether certain types of leaders were associated with the degree to which local health departments (LHDs) generate and use evidence to inform their service offering. Design: Pooled, cross-sectional analysis using 4 waves (2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019) of the National Profiles of Local Health Departments sponsored by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Univariate analysis was used to assess the extent to which LHDs were generating and using evidence to improve the health of their local communities and whether this changed over time. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships between LHD leader attributes and the extent to which LHDs were generating and using evidence. Participants: Between 1496 and 2087 (varied by survey round) LHDs from throughout the United States. Main Outcome Measure(s): Two outcome variables pertaining to the generation of evidence: (1) how recently an LHD completed a community health assessment and (2) how recently an LHD completed a community health improvement plan. A third outcome variable reflected how extensively an LHD used the Community Guide, a compendium of evidence-based findings. Results: In 2010, 25.1% and 41.4% of all LHDs had not completed a community health assessment or a community health improvement plan, respectively; by 2019, those figures declined significantly to 14.6% and 24.7%. Similarly, in 2010, 61.7% of all LHDs were not using the Community Guide; by 2019, that percentage declined significantly to 42.5%. Multivariable analysis revealed that leader experience was a more robust correlate of evidence generation and use by LHDs than leader education. Conclusions: While LHDs' generation and use of evidence have grown over the past decade, there is room for improvement. Local health department leader attributes-education and experience-highlight targeted opportunities to fill gaps in the use of evidence-based public health practices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Generation and Use of Evidence by Local Health Departments: The Role of Leader Attributes

Hearld

Kelly

Tafili

2021

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

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“…In addition to the presence of the CHIP, accredited local health departments are fertile ground for exploring the application of implementation science to specific topics. Allen et al‘s study of 350 local health departments found that accreditation was associated with two key features: awareness of and capacity for evidence-based decision making [ 9 ]. CHIPs are an already existing tool explicitly intended to guide communities in addressing priority public health issues through a combination of evidence-based and policy strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community health improvement plan: Study protocol for Kansas City's intervention and implementation evaluation

Lightner

McKinney²,

Hoppe³

et al. 2022

Public Health in Practice

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“…10 These include improved and implemented new quality improvement (QI) and performance management efforts; strengthened partnerships; improved internal and external transparency and accountability; improved workforce training and development; and improved utilization of resources. 11 Studies have found that accredited LHDs were more likely to report higher capacity for evidence-based decision making and evaluation than health departments that were not yet preparing for PHAB accreditation, 12 and accredited LHDs are more likely to report new funding as a result of accreditation, improved staff competencies, and new opportunities for partnerships and collaboration. 13 Given the barriers to applying and the relatively low rate of application for accreditation among smaller LHDs, there is a need to explore how the experiences and benefits of accreditation differ across LHDs of different sizes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits and Impacts of Public Health Accreditation for Small Local Health Departments

Heffernan

Melnick²,

Siegfried³

et al. 2022

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

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Objective: This study sought to identify accreditation benefits and impacts among local health departments (LHDs) stratifying by size of population served to determine differences between small, medium, and large LHDs. Background: The Public Health Accreditation Board operates the national accreditation program for public health departments, through which 306 LHDs have been accredited as of August 2022. Benefits of accreditation for LHDs are well documented, despite potential challenges and barriers to seeking accreditation. Research on the benefits of accreditation for small LHDs, specifically, is more limited. Methods: All health departments that completed the accreditation process between December 2013 and May 2022 were surveyed following receipt of the accreditation decision. The analytic sample included 266 LHDs (response rate of 93.7%). Data for LHDs were analyzed for specific variables related to experiences, challenges, and benefits, and stratified by size to compare small LHDs with medium and large LHDs. Bivariate analyses were conducted to identify statistical significance. Results: Generally, small LHDs reported similar outcomes of accreditation to medium and large LHDs. These included improvements in staff competencies, capacity to provide high-quality services, and relationships with partners. Small LHDs were significantly more likely than medium and large LHDs to report that accreditation increased their use of evidencebased practices. LHDs of all sizes reported an increase in quality improvement activities due to accreditation. Challenges for small LHDs included limited staff time or staff turnover and limited funding. Conclusions:The public health accreditation program has offered numerous benefits to LHDs of all sizes, including small LHDs. These accreditation benefits may be particularly important for small LHDs because of their critical role in the public health system and the ongoing need to support performance improvement, strengthen infrastructure, and increase resilience. KEY WORDS: local health departments, public health accreditation, public health capacityT he Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) operates the national accreditation program for public health departments, with the mission to "advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong infrastructure, and innovation." 1 A strong public health infrastructure is necessary to ensure the capacity of the public health system to advance health equity, prepare for and respond to public health emergencies and threats, and improve population health. 2

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Local Health Department Accreditation Is Associated With Organizational Supports for Evidence-Based Decision Making

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Generation and Use of Evidence by Local Health Departments: The Role of Leader Attributes

Generation and Use of Evidence by Local Health Departments: The Role of Leader Attributes

Community health improvement plan: Study protocol for Kansas City's intervention and implementation evaluation

Benefits and Impacts of Public Health Accreditation for Small Local Health Departments

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