What makes COVID-19 dashboards actionable? Lessons learned from international and country-specific studies of COVID-19 dashboards and with dashboard developers in the WHO European Region

 

Although COVID-19 dashboards may be widely accessible, their effective use to modify the course of the pandemic through the translation of data to information, information to opinions, and opinions to decision-making is determined by their actionability. To be actionable, the information should be both fit for purpose-meeting a specific information need-and fit for use-placing the right information into the right hands at the right time and in a manner that can be understood. Recognizing the sustained importance of COVID-19 dashboards as a tool for pandemic reporting, studies to describe this landscape and take stock of experiences are of critical importance for better preparedness in future public health crises. Since early 2020, the international network of healthcare performance intelligence researchers-HealthPros-in collaboration with partners including the WHO Regional Office for Europe, have worked to systematically study the actionability of COVID-19 dashboards by comparatively studying their composition, changes over time and development process.

 

In this presentation, results from this series of research will be summarized. Topics to be covered include:

A summary of seven key features constituting actionable dashboards resulting from a descriptive assessment and scoring of 158 dashboards from more than 53 countries worldwide.

Insights into changes to dashboards over the course of 2020-21 from country-specific studies in Canada, the Netherlands and Italy.

Lessons learned from the perspective of COVID-19 national, governmental dashboard developers in the WHO European Region, including key enablers and barriers to the development, maintenance and evolution of dashboards over the course of the pandemic.

Managing COVID-19 within and across health systems: why we need performance intelligence to coordinate a global response

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is a complex global public health crisis presenting clinical, organisational and system-wide challenges. Different research perspectives on health are needed in order to manage and monitor this crisis. Performance intelligence is an approach that emphasises the need for different research perspectives in supporting health systems’ decision-makers to determine policies based on well-informed choices. In this paper, we present the viewpoint of the Innovative Training Network for Healthcare Performance Intelligence Professionals (HealthPros) on how performance intelligence can be used during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion

A lack of standardised information, paired with limited discussion and alignment between countries contribute to uncertainty in decision-making in all countries. Consequently, a plethora of different non-data-driven and uncoordinated approaches to address the outbreak are noted worldwide. Comparative health system research is needed to help countries shape their response models in social care, public health, primary care, hospital care and long-term care through the different phases of the pandemic. There is a need in each phase to compare context-specific bundles of measures where the impact on health outcomes can be modelled using targeted data and advanced statistical methods. Performance intelligence can be pursued to compare data, construct indicators and identify optimal strategies. Embracing a system perspective will allow countries to take coordinated strategic decisions while mitigating the risk of system collapse.A framework for the development and implementation of performance intelligence has been outlined by the HealthPros Network and is of pertinence. Health systems need better and more timely data to govern through a pandemic-induced transition period where tensions between care needs, demand and capacity are exceptionally high worldwide. Health systems are challenged to ensure essential levels of healthcare towards all patients, including those who need routine assistance.

Conclusion

Performance intelligence plays an essential role as part of a broader public health strategy in guiding the decisions of health system actors on the implementation of contextualised measures to tackle COVID-19 or any future epidemic as well as their effect on the health system at large. This should be based on commonly agreed-upon standardised data and fit-for-purpose indicators, making optimal use of existing health information infrastructures. The HealthPros Network can make a meaningful contribution.