Biomedical subjects

Jacqueline Merrill

Publications and source records attributed to Jacqueline Merrill.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Description of a method to support public health information management: organizational network analysis.

In this case study, we describe a method that has potential to provide systematic support for public health information management. Public health agencies depend on specialized information that travels throughout an organization via communication networks among employees. Interactions that occur within these networks are poorly understood and are generally unmanaged. We applied organizational network analysis, a method for studying communication networks, to assess the method's utility to support decision making for public health managers, and to determine what links existed between information use and agency processes. Data on communication links among a health department's staff was obtained via survey with a 93% response rate, and analyzed using Organizational Risk Analyzer (ORA) software. The findings described the structure of information flow in the department's communication networks. The analysis succeeded in providing insights into organizational processes which informed public health managers' strategies to address problems and to take advantage of network strengths.

Database Management Systems↗

PubMed2005

Applying organizational network analysis techniques to study information use in a public health agency.

We are applying organizational network analysis to explore information use in a public health department. The technique is grounded in social science theory, and employs calculations derived from graph theory to generate statistical and graphical models from relational data matrices. For this pilot we will develop network models to characterize how information use in routine work contributes to the agency's performance goals. This is the first step in ongoing work that will extend network analysis with computational methods, to predict the potential effects that improving information use has on the agency's performance.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Tailored health communication: crafting the patient message for HIV TIPS.

The HIV TIPS project will pilot and evaluate the use of web-based information technology on prescription errors and quality of care by providing tailored practice guidelines and patient education in ambulatory practice settings of the National AIDS Education and Training Centers (NAETC) network. In the first phase of the project, we tailored messages to guide patient adherence and self-care, using DHHS guidelines. We developed a method based on communication theory to ensure complete and effective messages.

Anti-Retroviral Agents↗

PubMed2002

Public health worker competencies for emergency response.

Emergency preparedness is an expectation of public health organizations and an expectation of individual public health practitioners. Organizational performance standards for public health agencies have been developed during the last several years, providing a foundation for the development of competency statements to guide individual practice in public health program areas, like emergency response. This article provides results from a project that developed emergency preparedness and response competencies for individual public health workers. Documentation of the qualitative research methods used, which include competency validation with the practice community, can be applied to competency development in other areas of public health practice.

Delphi Technique↗

PubMed2002

Identifying individual competency in emerging areas of practice: an applied approach.

Competency designation is important for any discipline to define individual performance expectations. Although public health (PH) agencies have always responded to emergencies, individual expectations have not been specified. The authors identified individual competencies necessary for organizations to meet performance standards. In the first stage, a Delphi survey served to identify competencies needed by staff to respond to any emergency, including bio-terrorism, yielding competency sets for four levels of workers. In the second stage, focus groups were used to assess the competencies with public health agencies. This feedback validated the Delphi-identified competencies as accurate and necessary for emergency response. The authors demonstrate the feasibility of using these methods to arrive at statements of value to PH practice at a reasonable investment of resources.

Bioterrorism↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Role of exercises and drills in the evaluation of public health in emergency response.

INTRODUCTION: Public health agencies have been participating in emergency preparedness exercises for many years. A poorly designed or executed exercise, or an unevaluated or inadequately evaluated plan, may do more harm than good if it leads to a false sense of security, and results in poor performance during an actual emergency. At the time this project began, there were no specific standards for the public health aspects of exercises and drills, and no defined criteria for the evaluation of agency performance in public health. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop defined criteria for the evaluation of agency performance. METHOD: A Delphi panel of 26 experts in the field participated in developing criteria to assist in the evaluation of emergency exercise performance, and facilitate measuring improvement over time. Candidate criteria were based on the usual parts of an emergency plan and three other frameworks used elsewhere in public health or emergency response. RESULTS: The response rate from the expert panel for Delphi Round I was 74%, and for Delphi Round II was 55%. This final menu included 46 public health-agency level criteria grouped into nine categories for use in evaluating an emergency drill or exercise at the local public health level. CONCLUSION: Use of the public health-specific criteria developed through this process will allow for specific assessment and planning for measurable improvement in a health agency over time.

Delphi Technique↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Applying an evaluation framework for health information system design, development, and implementation.

BACKGROUND: Dramatic advances in health information technologies necessitate a comprehensive evaluation framework covering all phases of development, from conception to routine operational use. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article was to illustrate the application of an informatics evaluation framework that provides a heuristic for matching the stage of system design and the level of evaluation. METHODS: An evaluation framework is illustrated in the context of five studies in different stages of system design. RESULTS: The studies discussed in this article represent the various stages of the framework. In addition, they are examples of how evaluation research studies not only contribute to the assessment of system design but also constitute distinct contributions to knowledge. DISCUSSION: The ability to engineer advanced information systems has exceeded the understanding of how to deploy them effectively in complex settings and to adapt them to a range of user populations. A systematic, continuous evaluation increases the likelihood that the conditions for success will be understood, including how to tailor a system, how to maintain the target population's use of the system, and how to innovate continually to enhance the functionality of the system and the users' experience. Without sound evaluation methodologies throughout the stages of system development, information systems have limited potential to influence healthcare processes positively.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The public health workforce in the year 2000.

It has been 20 years since the last estimate of the public health workforce's size and composition. This study provides a best estimate through secondary analysis of existing workforce reports, summaries, and information gathered from chief health officials in 50 states and 6 territories, public health organizations, and federal agencies. Results indicate that the workforce consists of some 448,254 persons in salaried positions as follows: 44.6 percent professionals, 4 percent officials/administrators, 14 percent technicians, and 13 percent clerical/support. Workforce size may have decreased by as much as 10 percent over the last 20 years, despite a 25 percent increase in population and rising health hazards.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A history of public health workforce enumeration.

During the 20th century, the United States' public health workforce has been of sufficient interest to policy makers that regular efforts have been made to enumerate it. Limited enumeration is found as early as 1908; the last direct federal survey occurred in 1964. After 1964, workforce size was estimated. The ratio of public health workers to population reached an estimated 220/100,000 in 1980. Data collected in 2000 yielded a ratio of 158/100,000--a 10 percent decrease. In the absence of a system to reliably collect public health workforce data such information is problematic to interpret or use for infrastructure planning and development.

Documentation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Public health workforce enumeration: beware the "quick fix".

The most common source of information on workforce in the United States is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a branch of the Department of Labor. In 1998, 14 public health workforce titles were added to the BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. While this was a constructive step, it is not a "quick fix," because these additional titles do not solve the longstanding problems inherent in capturing accurate PH workforce data. As is true for all currently available sources, BLS statistics capture a limited segment of public health's broadly defined and multidisciplinary workforce. A standard system of data collection is needed to guide planning to sustain the present and future workforce. Revision of the 1998 SOC in preparation for the 2010 Census is now underway. This presents an opportunity for the public health community to act on prior recommendations regarding workforce data and advocate for more inclusive enumeration of public health occupations that can inform policies and planning for the current and future workforce.

Employment↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The public health workforce.

Defining the public health workforce and specifying its performance requirements present equal challenges as the nation anticipates public health needs for the twenty-first century. The core group of professionals employed by government public health agencies works in close partnership with a wide range of public, private, and voluntary organizations. The wider circle includes almost all physicians, dentists, and nurses, plus many other health, environmental, and public safety professionals. The task of ensuring that this workforce is prepared with skills and knowledge to face both identified and emerging public health challenges is immense.

Education, Public Health Professional↗