Week 4 – Assignment 1: Identify Quantitative Approaches to Population Health
Part 1
Review both resources for your Week 4 assignment. Using Chapter 4, “Public Health and Health Care Data” in Caron (2017), select four exercises devoted to quantitative data sources. These exercises are designed to familiarize you with the more frequently used databases. In this exercise, you will first have to access the database. Here are five of the exercises found in Chapter 4:
Accessing Birth Data:
Access the NVSS website and locate the most recent National Vital Statistics Report Births: Final Data.” Review the report and identify the following for the most recent year:
· Number of births
· Birth rate
· Fertility rate
· Percent born with low birth weight
· Percent of mothers unmarried
Accessing US Mortality Data:
Access the NVSS website and locate the most recent
National Vital Statistics Report titled “Deaths: Final Data.” Review the report and identify the following for the most recent year:
· Life expectancy for males and females
· The population groups that experienced a decrease in mortality
· Top three leading causes of death
· Top three leading causes of infant death
Accessing the Behavior Risk Surveillance System Interactive Map Data:
Access the interactive map data in the BRFSS website and start by selecting the year 2002 and the category “Overweight and Obesity.” Report the national status of this issue for 2002, and then repeat the process for the later years for which data are available. Note the trend over time, and discuss potential explanations.
Using the Dartmouth Atlas:
Access the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care website and complete the following steps:
a. Navigate to the “Data by Hospital” section, and select a state.
b. Choose a representative hospital in an urban area of the state, and note the information provided.
c. Now choose a hospital in a rural area of the same state.
d. Compare the findings between the two hospitals, and discuss possible reasons for any differences.
e. In the “Key Issues” section of the site, read the “Reflection on Variations.” Propose any additional explanations you might have for the variations in healthcare.
County Health Rankings and Road Maps Part A:
Access the County Health Ranking & Roadmaps website and complete the following steps:
a. Access the Rankings information for a state of your choosing.
b. View the state maps for health outcomes and health factors for the most recent year available, and compare the two. Which counties rank first and last?
c. Use the “Compare Countries” feature to examine the first- and last-ranked counties. Describe how the counties compare to the state as a whole for each health factor and health outcome.
d. View the state map for the clinical care health factor “Uninsured.” Describe this indicator, identify the source of the data, and compare the rates in both countries.
e. Go the Action Center and explore the sections dealing with public health and healthcare stakeholders, and review the key activities listed for these groups. Select three activities that you think could help improve the identified indicator (the uninsured) for the two counties. Explain your rationale, and describe how you think other stakeholders should be involved in addressing this issue.
You must have a total of four data sources for this assignment—you can select from the five provided as examples or create your own group of exercises. You might want to consider using two from the examples provided and two other data sources. Please use other data sources if they are of interest to you.
If your organization has a project that involves one or more of these exercises, you may select those data sources. However, you must use the table format that best resembles your selected data source. You must also respond to all of the discussion questions. This may involve a bit of creative thinking and application on your part.
Please prepare your assignment in the following manner:
· Identify each exercise by name and the page where it can be located in Caron (2017).
· Prepare a table for each of the exercises identical to the table found in Caron (2017) and found in the instructions provided above.
· It is important to note that each of the quantitative databases has its own unique table.
· Respond to all of the discussion questions in the exercise.
· Each exercise must be 1-2 pages in length.
Give some thought to your selections, as they may prove useful for the Week 8 Signature Assignment.
Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages
References: Include a minimum of one scholarly resource or one government website
PART 2
Critique A Healthcare Delivery System’s Quantitative Assessment Model
Using the NCQA
Population Health Management Quality Assessment Resource Guide (2019), identify and briefly describe and critique a healthcare delivery systems quantitative assessment model. It should be noted that these models are usually proprietary and thus cannot be compared across systems.
What do
you perceive to be the major shortcoming and how might that deficit be overcome to benefit both the system and the community it serves?
Length: 1-2 pages, not including title and reference pages
Length: 1-2 pages, not including title and reference pages
