Technical Assistance and Training
FHOP's training and technical assistance activities build capacity for effective use of data for assessment, planning, policy development and program evaluation by government and non-profit agencies and community-based organizations. Activities include:
• Ongoing training and technical assistance for local, state, and non-profit agencies and hospitals
• Consultation to counties, individual states and community-based organizations in understanding and using data for decision-making
• Developing web-based distance learning curricula for local and state health department staff
FHOP promotes the use of uniformly defined and measured health indicators and performance measures through the development of:
• Indicators to monitor the impact of changes in the health care system on the MCH population
• Performance measures to monitor quality of care
• Indicators to monitor the effectiveness of community health coalitions
• Suggested ethnic sensitive indicators for documenting racial and ethnic disparities in health
• Identifying data sources and analytical methods to measure indicators
To further the understanding of the effects of health and social policies and systems on the health status of children and their families, FHOP is engaged in the following research efforts:
• Analyzing statewide hospital discharge data for disease patterns and trends in indicators of access to care
• Conducting a small area analysis of childhood injuries and factors associated with injury hospitalizations in children
• Exploring time trends in hospital complication rates
• Evaluating an outreach and education program for those at high risk for HIV
Tools and Resources for Public Health Data Functions
FHOP's publications and software assist health agencies to more effectively use data. All FHOP publications and software are available on this site. Products include:
• Selecting Indicators in a Multicultural Environment
• Guidelines on Race/Ethnicity Data Collection, Coding, and Reporting
• Guidelines for Statistical Analysis of Public Health Data with Attention to Small Numbers
• Developing an Effective Planning Process: A Guide for Local MCH Programs
• Selecting Health Indicators for Public Health Surveillance in a Changing Health Care Environment
• Spreadsheet templates to assess trends in selected indicators and their statistical significance
• Public domain software to analyze birth certificate and hospital discharge data (EpiBC and EpiHosp)
Unique Client Identification and Tracking
Unique client identification facilitates data linkage and cross-program tracking to better monitor service utilization and quality of care. FHOP's approach now employed by the California Departments of Health and Mental Health Services includes:
• Data standards for a set of core data elements
• A method for using these elements to link data sets or unduplicated client encounters and to generate a unique client identifier
• Recommendations for ensuring confidentiality when using these approaches
FHOP staff is available to provide consultation to public and private agencies in:
• Developing agency goals and indicators
• Program planning and evaluation
• Idenfying priories/formal problem analysis
• Data and small area analysis
• Survey development
• Conducng focus groups
• Building capacity for use of data