Communicating with the public, communicating with each other

Organizing the present, looking to the future: an online knowledge repository to facilitate collaboration

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive data available in the Canadian province of Manitoba since 1970 have aided study of the interaction between population health, health care utilization, and structural features of the health care system. Given a complex linked database and many ongoing projects, better organization of available epidemiological, institutional, and technical information was needed.

OBJECTIVE

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation wished to develop a knowledge repository to handle data, document research Methods, and facilitate both internal communication and collaboration with other sites.

METHODS

This evolving knowledge repository consists of both public and internal (restricted access) pages on the World Wide Web (WWW). Information can be accessed using an indexed logical format or queried to allow entry at user-defined points. The main topics are: Concept Dictionary, Research Definitions, Meta-Index, and Glossary. The Concept Dictionary operationalizes concepts used in health research using administrative data, outlining the creation of complex variables. Research Definitions specify the codes for common surgical procedures, tests, and diagnoses. The Meta-Index organizes concepts and definitions according to the Medical Sub-Heading (MeSH) system developed by the National Library of Medicine. The Glossary facilitates navigation through the research terms and abbreviations in the knowledge repository. An Education Resources heading presents a web-based graduate course using substantial amounts of material in the Concept Dictionary, a lecture in the Epidemiology Supercourse, and material for Manitoba's Regional Health Authorities. Confidential information (including Data Dictionaries) is available on the Centre's internal website.

RESULTS

Use of the public pages has increased dramatically since January 1998, with almost 6,000 page hits from 250 different hosts in May 1999. More recently, the number of page hits has averaged around 4,000 per month, while the number of unique hosts has climbed to around 400.

CONCLUSIONS

This knowledge repository promotes standardization and increases efficiency by placing concepts and associated programming in the Centre's collective memory. Collaboration and project management are facilitated.

Establishing a population data-based policy unit

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation (MCHPE) developed POPULIS, a population-based health information system, as a vehicle for changing the way we think about the role of health care as a determinant of health. Serving as a bridge between analysts who produce research and politicians and policymakers who use it, MCHPE has developed a research infrastructure that can transform routinely collected administrative data into policy-relevant information. This paper provides a description of Manitoba and its health care system, as well as how MCHPE was started and how it functions. It describes how we at the Centre work with various databases, from the acquisition process through developing concepts and capabilities to the final validity and sensitivity testing of results. We detail the role of a population-based conceptual framework in challenging those who suggest more spending on medical care is self-evidently desirable.