The Whatcom County Health Department (WCHD) is a host site for the Informatics-Training in Place Program (I-TIPP) fellowship. The fellow’s 2015-2016 project aims to guide the agency in increasing their informatics capabilities. In addition to the fellowship’s relevant on-the-job training, the project is informed by the Public Health Informatics Institute’s (PHII) Informatics-Savvy Health Department Self-Assessment tool and the Washington State Department of Health’s (WADOH) Informatics Roadmap strategic plan.
METHODS:
The WCHD I-TIPP fellow began implementing the agency’s informatics project in August 2015. The scope of the year-long project is to establish a departmental informatics vision, strategy, and governance by; assessing agency informatics capabilities and system efficiencies, identifying informatics needs among staff and community partners, and, supporting workforce learning. This includes the formation of a WCHD Informatics Team, completion of PHII’s Informatics-Savvy Health Department Self-Assessment tool and participation in WADOH’s Informatics Roadmap strategic planning efforts.
RESULTS:
All eight Informatics Team members participated in the assessment, representing 7 program areas and 4 agency divisions. WCHD’s overall average informatics capability is 1.8. Capability levels within each section are as follows: Vision and strategy: 1.8, Skilled workforce: 2, Well-designed and effectively used information systems: 1.6.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Informatics Team used the results to create a team charter and learning plan. The team prioritized skilled workforce capabilities, specifically ensuring staff have the skills to effectively use information system tools and the knowledge of how to identify and document needed system improvements. Assessment results enabled WCHD staff to identify local needs and provide recommendations to WADOH’s Informatics Roadmap strategic plan.
The PHII’s assessment tool began as a conversation starter that allowed WCHD’s Informatics Team to identify needs, find their focus, and provide data-driven recommendations to a comprehensive WADOH strategic planning process. The assessment findings were affirming and generated a more focused conversation on opportunities to increase WCHD informatics capabilities.
While lacking in quantitative findings, participation in WADOH’s Informatics Roadmap strategic planning efforts has been invaluable and created legitimacy to local efforts. Alignment with state priorities can be found in the Informatics team charter and local level improvements can be found in the states plan.