In a world with overwhelming amounts of data, it can be challenging to manage it effectively. This is especially true with data spanning public health and health care.
When electronic health records (EHRs) were first introduced in clinical settings, they made the transfer of patient information from providers to public health agencies more timely and efficient. This ability to share data more effectively created an opportunity for enhanced public health surveillance activities. More importantly, it contributed to improvements in the prevention, treatment, and control of disease within a community.
However, before these benefits could be realized, public health experts required a better understanding of what it takes to become interoperable with clinical settings. To do this, they needed a high-level resource: a single-source, easily-accessible library of public health interoperability training resources.
Under Altarum’s guidance, a small group of volunteers, who are committed to elevating the knowledge and skills of those working to improve public health interoperability, came together to create the Public Health Interoperability Training Resource Catalog. Administered by Altarum, the catalog contains resources compiled and reviewed by these public health experts. This curated collection of training and education tools, presentations, and publications — developed by a range of organizations — covers a variety of interoperability topics, expanding knowledge among public health experts. Free and easily searchable, the catalog saves time and effort, putting interoperability and public health surveillance within reach for more agencies and providers.
This long-term curation effort reflects our commitment to supporting those working to improve public health interoperability, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Altarum’s incredible partners, who came together to contribute to its curation. Understanding the importance of education to elevating the public health fields, we will continue to accept feedback, suggestions, and ideas for new resources to continue to add to the knowledge around interoperability and pave the way for healthier communities. In the first six months following its April 2022 launch, the Public Health Interoperability Catalog website had more than 2,000 visitors — and interest continues to grow.