HSC 3070 Assignment Web Data Query Systems
HSC 3070 Assignment Web Data Query Systems
A review of program evaluation perspectives, including the concept of a logic model and its applicability to the evaluation of Web-based data query systems (WDQSs), is presented. A logic model is used to flesh out evaluation components of a WDQS, including inputs, constraints, program activities, program outputs, and outcomes. For each component, a list of potential items is presented for inclusion in the model, along with examples of initial, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes for a WDQS.
Program evaluation is a process that is important to conduct both early in WDQS development to promote clarity of its vision and objectives and throughout the course of the WDQS implementation and maintenance to ensure that its objectives are being met. Should the WDQS not be producing desirable results, the logic model provides a road map for understanding which activities are not meeting the WDQS’s objectives so that the course of WDQS development, implementation, and maintenance may be altered to improve the probability of reaching desirable outcomes.
Local health data can be a powerful vehicle for improving the health of a community [1]. When aggregated, local health data helps monitor the incidence, trends, and patterns and disease in a given population [2]. There is strong evidence that the availability of high-quality population level health data at the local level can lead to targeted interventions, impact public policy decisions [3], reduce health disparities, and improve health care delivery systems [4]. The growth of the Internet over the last 25 years has made it possible for state agencies to easily share their health data online. One popular method to disseminate health data are Web-Based Data Query Systems (WDQS), which were first implemented in the late 1990s. WDQS are interactive and are customizable, as users are able to pre-select variables of interest [5].
Despite the advantages of WDQS and advancements in information technology, implementation has been limited. States and local health agencies face key challenges including high cost, data sharing, IT infrastructure, and usability challenges in their dissemination. This paper reports on the relevance of barriers identified in the literature, from the perspective of a panel of experts. The results of this pilot study helped formulate an instrument that was administered to Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) coordinators across all 50 US states.