Workshop Details

SESSION: C1a
ROOM
DATE Thursday, June 18, 2015
TIME 8:00am-10:30am
ABSTRACT CATEGORY Accountability
ABSTRACT TITLE

From Plans to Action and Back Again: Translating Evaluation Needs into Effective SBHC Data Collection Tools
ABSTRACT SUMMARY

To evaluate the impact of health services provided by SBHCs, a data collection system must accurately and reliably measure priority data points. If data collected do not meet evaluation needs, a quality improvement (QI) process on the data system itself is necessary. The data collection system should be improved through prioritizing the most essential data points and striking a balance between changing system formats and the need for stability in data measures over time.
ABSTRACT DESCRIPTION

According to the School-Based Health Alliance 2010-2011 Census Report, over half (52.7%) of school-based health centers (SBHCs) use an electronic health record/medical record (EHR/EMR). This represents a 65% increase over 3 years. There are still other SBHCs that use some other kind of electronic system, including Clinical Fusion or newly developed systems. As an increasing number of SBHCs adopt electronic systems, the use of such systems for evaluation and quality improvement has become an important focus. To determine the impact of health services provided by SBHCs, evaluators and data analysts need to answer a vital question: Does your data collection system (such as an electronic medical record or data repository) measure what you need it to measure in order to evaluate your program effectively? In particular, does your system collect accurate, complete, and reliable data that can be used to track performance on key evaluation or quality improvement (QI) indicators? New challenges also arise as SBHCs continue to expand and offer a wider variety of health services to students, as new data points will need to be captured by pre-existing or newly developed systems. If the data collected do not meet evaluation needs, the best solution can be to initiate a QI process on the data system itself. Using the evaluation plan as a guide, the QI process can direct the improvement of the data collection system, prioritizing the most essential data points and striking a balance between changing system formats and the need for stability in data measures over time. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s dedicated SBHC online data collection tool, OSCR (the Online School Clinic Health Repository), will be used as a case study in quality improvement of a data collection system driven by evaluation needs. Examples from OSCR’s QI process will be used to illustrate how targeted changes to data collection can lead to improved data for process and impact evaluation indicators. Special focus will also be given to how data verification measures, design elements to reduce missing or incomplete data, and training/technical assistance can improve data needed for evaluation purposes.

PRESENTER(S)

NAME: Lorraine  Tiezzi  MS  ORGANIZATION: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
NAME: Rebecca  Fisher  MA, MPH  ORGANIZATION: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
NAME: Michelle  Dixon  BA, MPH  ORGANIZATION: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

  
AUDIENCE
ADMINISTRATORS: Y
PRIMARY HEALTH: Y
MENTALHEALTH: N
ORGANIZATIONAL: Y
PUBLIC HEALTH: N
EDUCATION: N
YOUTH: N
 
 
   

Technical issues should be directed to Deirdre Taylor via email: dtaylor@sbh4all.org or Telephone: (202) 638-5872, ext. 204