Public health data bases contain information essential to improving population health and informing policy. Public health officials take seriously their charge to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the individuals in these data, yet, at the same time, unleash the power of the data to improve health and health care. Balancing these dual responsibilities is an ongoing challenge, especially with technological advancements, the need for timely, actionable data, and society’s heightened concerns with privacy. Too often, agency release policies have not been modernized to address these evolving information demands, including Internet tools and data dissemination which introduces unique opportunities for dissemination of health data, as well as new challenges.
On June 23rd, NAHDO hosted a webinar to highlight how one agency has approached these challenges and an example of how mapping tools can be used to transform data into actionable information.
Slides can be found on the NAHDO webinar page