Query @ PHO: Empowering public health professionals to ask questions using current reportable...

Query @ PHO: Empowering public health professionals to ask questions using current reportable infectious disease information

CPHA conference, May 27, 2014

Brenda Lee, Michelle Policarpio, Michael Whelan and Ruth SandersonPublic Health Ontario

http://www.publichealthontario.ca/

PublicHealthOntario.ca

Outline

• Concept

• Reportable infectious disease data

• Technology

• Process

• Pilot test

• Product

• Implications

• Future Directions

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Public Health Ontario

• Public Health Ontario (PHO) is a Crown corporation dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of all Ontarians and reducing inequities in health

• Mandated to provide scientific and technical advice and support to clients working in government, public health, health care, and related sectors

• Responsible for the surveillance of reportable infectious disease in the province

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The concept

• Develop a tool for use by Ontario’s public health sector to access and independently explore reportable disease data with the following attributes:• Timely• Flexible• Straightforward user interface• Easily maintained with minimal need for IT support

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Reportable infectious disease data collection and extraction

• Integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS)• Reportable disease data in Ontario are reported by public health units

(PHUs) to the province via iPHIS• As specified under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.R.O. 1990,

Regulation 569

• Cognos 10• Business intelligence tool used by PHUs to extract data from iPHIS• Allows approved public health users to extract data from most fields in

iPHIS• Specialized knowledge of the reporting tool is required• PHUs can only extract their own data

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The software

PowerPivot Software

• Free add-in for Excel 2010

• Enables users to explore data on the fly

• Features• Accommodates very large data sets (i.e., no limitations on rows)• Can combine data from different sources (i.e., relationships can be

defined to link different datasets)• Can create visually appealing visuals (e.g., charts, tables)• Allows data to be viewed in different ways• Compatible with SharePoint

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The process

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Includes: data extraction (iPHIS and intelliHEALTH), creation of custom tables, and data cleaning

Based on: PHU needs, iPHIS data requests, surveillance reports

Process: define structure and slicers, apply design format



Pilot test

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• Testers• Eight Ontario public health units• Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care• Internal Public Health Ontario (PHO) staff

• Activities • Completed scenarios to test report functionality• Participated in ‘load test’ to determine impact of multiple users on the

system

• Feedback• User-friendly and relevant for exploring reportable disease data in

Ontario• Adjust report layout for ease of use



The product

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• Query @ PHO• A user-friendly tool for interactive data exploration and drill-down

analysis• Accessible to approved public health professionals• internal PHO users• external health unit users

• Data includes information on 68 reportable diseases• Data are presented in dynamic chart and table format• Data are refreshed weekly



The product

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The product

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The product

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PublicHealthOntario.ca 13

Available slicers

Data notes and caveats

Output data table

Output graph

Selected slicers



Implications

• Easy and timely access to basic reportable disease data for approved Ontario users from public health sector

• Allows users to easily make comparisons of infectious disease trends with between PHUs and the province

• Fewer requests to the province for basic data

• Has the potential to build public health capacity and productivity

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• Build Ontario user base

• Refine existing reports and develop additional reports based on recommendations from users

• Produce new models or enhanced models that incorporate different data sources

• Explore approaches to incorporate other compatible software to display data from PowerPivot (e.g., PowerView)

Future Directions



Acknowledgements

Thanks to our colleagues at PHO who have worked on and supported this project:

• Tina Badiani

• Stephen Beath

• Jeremy Herring

• Brenda Mitchell

• Surinder Mohan

• George Pasut

• Jason Percival

• Ruth Sanderson

• Rachel Savage

• Michael Whelan


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Questions?

Contact us at: [email protected]


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