TY - JOUR
T1 - Public health department accreditation
T2 - Setting the research agenda
AU - Riley, William J.
AU - Lownik, Elizabeth M.
AU - Scutchfield, F. Douglas
AU - Mays, Glen P.
AU - Corso, Liza C.
AU - Beitsch, Les M.
N1 - Funding Information:
It has been widely recognized that better methods are needed to improve public health process performance and outcomes. Several major initiatives have been underway over the last 10 years to introduce quality improvement techniques and methods into public health. These include the Turning Point initiative, 40 the National Public Health Performance Standards Program, 12 the Public Health Foundation Quality Improvement Program, 41 and numerous programs supported by the RWJF and the CDC, including the Multi State Learning Collaboratives and the National Public Health Improvement Initiative. 42–44 The methods and techniques of process improvement constitute a highly relevant approach to exploring the inner functioning of the public health department to better understand how to improve population health status.
Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2012/3
Y1 - 2012/3
N2 - Health department accreditation is one of the most important initiatives in the field of public health today. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is establishing a voluntary accreditation system for more than 3000 state, tribal, territorial, and local health departments using domains, standards, and measures with which to evaluate public health department performance. In addition, public health department accreditation has a focus on continuous quality improvement to enhance capacity and performance of health departments in order to advance the health of the population. In the accreditation effort, a practice-based research agenda is essential to build the scientific base and advance public health department accreditation as well as health department effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of public health accreditation and identifies the research questions raised by this accreditation initiative, including how the research agenda will contribute to better understanding of processes underlying the delivery of services by public health departments and how voluntary accreditation may help improve performance of public health departments.
AB - Health department accreditation is one of the most important initiatives in the field of public health today. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is establishing a voluntary accreditation system for more than 3000 state, tribal, territorial, and local health departments using domains, standards, and measures with which to evaluate public health department performance. In addition, public health department accreditation has a focus on continuous quality improvement to enhance capacity and performance of health departments in order to advance the health of the population. In the accreditation effort, a practice-based research agenda is essential to build the scientific base and advance public health department accreditation as well as health department effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of public health accreditation and identifies the research questions raised by this accreditation initiative, including how the research agenda will contribute to better understanding of processes underlying the delivery of services by public health departments and how voluntary accreditation may help improve performance of public health departments.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.10.021
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.10.021
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22341163
AN - SCOPUS:84857217397
SN - 0749-3797
VL - 42
SP - 263
EP - 271
JO - American journal of preventive medicine
JF - American journal of preventive medicine
IS - 3
ER -