Healthscape: An information
management and accountability tool
for public health services
Community and Public Health – A Division of the
Canterbury District Health Board
Introduction
•
The work of a population and public health unit, such as Community and Public Health
(C&PH), is characterised by a very wide range of service provision and activities.
•
This broad scope of activity is characterised by service provision in “settings”. Often,
different teams from C&PH interact with the same external entities, but for provision of different
services.
•
Healthscape is an online information system which has been developed to integrate
information management, accountability and reporting requirements across the range of
C&PH activities, conceptually in much the same way as a patient management system integrates
information about an individual patient’s care.
•
The system has been developed to make use of existing IT infrastructure and software,
delivering a high degree of functionality with low opportunity cost.
•
Activity and entity records and reports are freely configurable and adaptable through the
system’s user interface, significantly reducing the need for technical intervention and re-design
to meet changes in service provision, alterations in organisational structure, and different reporting
and accountability requirements.
Prior state: numerous overlapping,
mutually inconsistent poorly maintained
information sets in a number of different
technical formats and software platforms,
no differentiation between operational
data and reporting information. Access
and security issues
Current / future state: Still numerous
and different information management
and reporting needs, but now managed
through a freely available, consistent,
user-driven interface and a consolidated
information system.
Healthscape user interface,
presenting configurable
record types, forms and
reports
Healthscape database
Key Healthscape Data Objects
An LEP can be associated with >= 1 contact person.
A contact must be associated with >= 1 LEP
Contacts (People)
Definable attributes
An LEP can be associated with >= 1 action.
An action must be associated with >= 1 LEP
Locations / Entities / Processes
- LEPs (Things)
Definable attributes
Actions (Work undertaken)
Staff
Reporting Tags
12000
Community and Public Healthscape: Count of Activity Records per
reporting year
2007/08
Subdivision
Hotel
Private Property
Tertiary Training Provider
Cooling Tower Site
Aged Care
General Medical Practice
Healthy Christchurch Signatory
Sports Club
Active Canterbury Physical Activity
Tavern
OSCAR Programme
Tobacco Retailer
Restaurant
School
Early Childcare
Community Group / NGO / Network
VTA Application Area
Drinking Water Supply
Drinking Water Supply Plant
Drinking Water Supply Zone
Food Premises
Drinking Water Supply Source
Licensed Premise
Community and Public Health Active Location / Entity / Process
Records by record type
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
2008/09
2009/10