Business intelligence: Transforming public health practice through information

Background: Denver Public Health (DPH) is committed to improving the health and well-being of Denver's residents. Timely compilation and access to information can help public health officials better monitor the health of residents, improve capacity to measure public health program impact, increase focus on disease prevention, and support strategic planning.

Objectives: Develop and implement business intelligence (BI) tools to enhance surveillance activities, accelerate identification of disease and intervention trends, and provide real-time access to operational data.

Methods: In 2008, DPH conducted a series of requirements gathering sessions with each public health program area to document current processes and methods for data collection, storage, and utilization and better understand future data needs. These requirements helped design and implement a BI solution to streamline these processes while maximizing information gained from existing data sources.

Results: A comprehensive data model/warehouse has been developed and a data mart utilizing various initial data sources implemented for the public health department. Users access data via role-based, self-service reporting tools. Data have been organized into “dashboard” views for review of H1N1 surveillance and intervention activities. Access to high-value information is increased while the dependency on manual data processing and ad hoc analyses is reduced.

Conclusion: While a substantial investment is required, BI technology has the potential to fundamentally transform public health practice through informatics . By reducing barriers to information derived from existing and future data sources, public health practitioners have increased opportunities to proactively promote healthy living and prevent disease.