178172 Translating research into practice: A tool for public health performance improvement

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 8:50 AM

Nikki Lawhorn, MPP , Division of Evaluation and Research, Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, LA
Michelyn W. Bhandari, DrPH, MPH, CPH , Department of Health Promotion and Administration, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
F. Douglas Scutchfield, MD , College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Martha Riddell, DrPH , College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Madhubindu Kanneganti , Department of Health Promotion and Administration, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
Richard J. Charnigo, PhD , College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
     
Introduction: Public Health Systems Research and the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) share the goal of increasing the science base of public health in order to improve public health practice. The objectives of this analysis are to: (1) define the characteristics of high-performing local public health systems; and (2) determine the relationship between local public health system performance and public health agency structure, organization, finance, and management.

Methods: This is a study of 353 local public health systems from 23 states that completed Version 1 of the NPHPSP local public health system assessment instrument. NPHPSP Data was matched with the 2005 National Association of City County Health Officials (NACCHO) National Profile of Local Public Health Departments, 2005 Area Resource File (ARF), and 2005 Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR). The study sample was taken from the 529 users of the NPHPSP local instrument. Systems that repeated the performance assessment or had no corresponding NACCHO data and those jurisdictions that did not correspond to county-level data found in ARF and CFFR were excluded. Regression trees were used to explore relationships between measures of public health system performance on the 10 essential public health services (EPHS) and measures of community characteristics and agency infrastructure. Regression trees were created for total performance and each of the 10 EPHS.

Results: A health department with low expenditures whose director has only a bachelor's degree or a health department with high expenditures for which there is no local board may not perform well on EPHS1, Monitoring Health Status. Also, the presence of regulatory activities of the health department is important for improving average total performance.

Conclusions: Regression trees can be useful tools for translating research into practice by benchmarking or setting performance goals based on the results produced by this methodology.

Learning Objectives:
1. Define the characteristics of high-performing local public health systems 2. Describe the relationship between local public health system performance and public health agency structure, organization, finance, and management 3. Demonstrate how regression trees can be used as a tool for performance improvement and for benchmarking or setting performance goals.

Keywords: Performance Measures, Public Health Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Served as co-prinicple investigator on project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Quality Improvement Through Accreditation and Performance Standards
See more of: Health Administration