Utilizing participatory management (PM) theory to guide the health security card (HSC) research project

The Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response (CPHPDR) at the American Medical Association (AMA) completed the first of a three year $1.3 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a health security card (HSC) with essential health information to identify individuals and meet immediate health needs in a disaster or public health emergency.

The HSC project involves an overarching Participatory Management (PM) approach which is being utilized to guide community-based participatory research, including multi-disciplinary shared decision-making by key organizations. The AMA has engaged a number of partners as Core Collaborators (CC), including federal and public health liaisons, and experts in health information technology and emergency preparedness.

The CCs provide broad leadership and input on the development of the HSC project. Their responsibilities are to: (1) identify other key partner organizations and similar projects; (2) report back to senior decision makers in their respective organizations about the project; (3) obtain organizational "buy in" for the project; and (4) nominate and support individuals to serve as active members of Project Advisory Team (PAT) Workgroups.

The AMA is responsible for the grant and provides the key staffing. It facilitates the decisions of the CCs and PAT Workgroups. At this point, the HSC CCs have addressed 1) minimum data elements for inclusion; 2) common terminologies for selecting vehicles, modalities and software platforms for the project; and, 3) issues and challenges related to broad acceptance of the HSC product among diverse community populations, especially at-risk populations.