The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73573

Amy Zimmerman, MPH, Division of Family Health, Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908, 401-222-5942, amyz@doh.state.ri.us

The Rhode Island Department of Health wants to assure that all children in RI receive pediatric preventive services. To accomplish this, a statewide integrated public health information system, KIDSNET, was established. KIDSNET addresses the surveillance and tracking needs of nine component programs and coordinates follow-up efforts to children in the state. Programs providing data to KIDSNET included the Universal Newborn Developmental Risk Assessment, Vital Records, WIC, Lead Poisoning Prevention, Home Visiting, Early Intervention, and Newborn Hearing Assessment. The database was also designed to accept data from the Newborn Blood Spot Program although not yet operational. While several of the programs have program databases, and transfer data elements to KIDSNET, three programs (Immunization, Universal Newborn Screening for Developmental Risk and Home Visiting) have had their information system built directly into the KIDSNET database. Participation and planning for KIDSNET required involving constituents early, building internal organizational support, frequent negotiations, and developing options to accommodate a variety of wants and needs. Issues such as technological capacity and support, rapidly changing technologies; organizational structure; provider, program and other stakeholder participation; financing; data quality; uses of data; policy development; staffing; system and program maintenance, changing provider and consumer needs; and a rapidly changing health care environment; all needed to be considered. Despite many challenges, the ability to link data across programs, and the resulting coordination of follow-up efforts helps to develop informed public health policy decisions, identify gaps and needs in services, promote efficiency and promotes delivering health services in more comprehensive manner.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of the session, participants will be able to describe some of the major progammatic issues in integrating systems and how they are being addressed and describe hos information from these systems can be used to improve health and health services.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.