Future Directions Angela Ruffin

Public Health Outreach Forum

National Library of MedicineLister Hill Auditorium Bethesda, Maryland

I look forward to the FUTURE,

for I have learned from the PAST

and I know the PRESENT

Overall NLM Public Health Goal

• Increase application of information services and information technology to improve the health of whole communities

Series of Events

• PHS sponsored April 1995 meeting - leaders in the NII and population health communities

• January 1997 meeting at NLM - partners included CDC, HRSA, Department of Veterans Affairs, public health organizations

• March 1998 national forum at the New York Academy of Medicine

Basic Strategies

• Promote development of advanced PH data systems

• Improve databases/services for PH

• Connect and train PH workforce re: Internet and library services (relying on NN/LM)

• Work with PH/others re: health education for the public/prevention

Basic Strategies

• Looking into public & community health terminology/vocabulary - inclusion by 2003 MeSH

• Review of public health journals for inclusion in MEDLINE - ~350

• Funding of special pilot projects (PHF project)

HSTAT Access to Guide to Community Preventive

Services

http://hstat.nlm.nih.gov

RML & NN/LM Activities

• Increased presence at national, state and local public health meetings

• Provided information from ASTHO and NACCHO related to public health officials in each region

• Held state planning meetings targeted at public health information needs

• Established links from partners’ web page

PIAPHP Homepage

NN/LM Public Health Outreach Projects

• 21 projects -- ~$50,000 each

• 16 states

• Purposes – Train public health workforce to use the

Internet and relevant NLM, CDC, and state information resources

– Provide Internet connections, local websites, etc. as appropriate

Previous Public Health RFP

• Needs Assessment

• Partnerships

• Training

• Connections

• Web Site Development

• Evaluation

From Lessons Learned

• Assessing Information Needs– Specific Needs/Readiness of Work

Groups

– Connectivity Strategies

• Objectives & Outcomes

• Web Resources

• Partnerships

• Sustainability

2001-2006 NN/LM Contracts

• Awards will be made May 1, 2001

• Total contract funding for Year 1 = $9.8 Million

• Public health professionals are one of targeted outreach populations

Two New NN/LM Centers

• Outreach Evaluation Resource Center

• National Outreach Mapping Center

Future Publishing Ideas

• Article in a public health journal

• BMLA Options - possibly an electronic special to the BMLA

• Other Ideas

Upcoming Partners Projects

• Second Satellite Broadcast on Environmental Health - January 31, 2002

• Toolkit Update in Progress

• Streamlining of the 398 Form used for Connection Grants

Logos of Symposium Sponsors

The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section

Outreach SIG, Medical Library Association

MLA 2001 SymposiumMeeting Symposia

Library Partnerships - Library Partnerships - Powerful ConnectionsPowerful Connections

Library Partnerships - Library Partnerships - Powerful ConnectionsPowerful Connections

Upcoming Funding Options

• HIV/AIDS Solicitation: After April 6 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/oam/oam.html

• Internet Connections Grants

• Individual Applied Informatics Fellowships http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/appfellow.html Carol Bean, NLM Contact

WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WANT TO MAKE TO NLM

AS A RESULT OF THE LESSONS LEARNED AND

THE RESEARCH IDEAS SUGGESTED?

Forum Recommendations• Do an outreach database evaluation

project - re-consider uses of current database

• Create baseline info - need partnerships with CDC, UWash, others to fill in the “white” maps in EpiQMS

• Create a database of “us” - info on the 21+ projects to share with others

• NLM should foster ways to work with PIAPHP groups - more introductions, more opportunities

Forum Recommendations

• Use “us” in the outreach proposals review process

• Create listserv for funded projects while ongoing

• Foster mentoring relationship for unfunded proposal groups

• Consider various funding levels - small starts can build to possible future larger projects

Forum Recommendations• Extend EpiQMS to other states• MEDLINEplus opening page in

Spanish/other languages (with UK, CA, AU); other expansions to address the links between consumer and public health

• Need to get a handle on importance of local resources, gray lit

• Consider PH subset or PH journals subset in PubMed, or perhaps filters/hedges for PH topics

Forum Recommendations

• PubMed Central as repository for PH research reports

• Factsheets geared toward specific PH workgroups at fed/state/local levels - grow to FAQs

• Projects on communication patterns as major factor in training and sustainability

• Along with phased in project idea, match funding levels to expectations/evaluation plans

Forum Recommendations• Partner with DLCs to assess

current/needed access to information and library services

• Partner internally with our students - provides educational opportunity and extra labor

• State-to-state communication about what each is doing in PH - warm line, dataset of answers, etc.

Forum Recommendations

• Submit section programming ideas to PH/HA

• Integrate searching of TOXNET info into PubMed

• Records in PubMed should have direct links to info in HSDB, TRI, etc.

• Integrate searching of HSTAT info into PubMed