SEARCH Profiles
The need for measuring the health of a population is expressed time and again by government and other funding sources. Good measurement establishes a baseline of health, so healthcare dollars can be targeted to what a given population needs at a given time. Yet needs may vary tremendously from Fort McMurray to Fort McLeod.... . .The crux of the issue is: How do you measure the health of a population? Are there ways to account for differences in age, culture, education, income, region and the very different health needs of men and women?
Eight participants in AHFMR's Swift Efficient Application of Research in Community Health (SEARCH) think so. They have just concluded research that may set the stage for the development of a common set of health indicators for Alberta. With the co-operation of all 17 regional health authorities, the Alberta Cancer Board, and the Provincial Mental Health Advisory Board, the group compiled an inventory of currently used health indicators.
Health indicators are those measures used to describe a population's state of health and the factors that determine or influence health. For example, a health indicator is the number of years of good health a person has had. Another is how they rate their own health.
Setting the ground rules for a common grid is a consultative process, the first step of which will be to identify current priorities and goals in health. Then appropriate indicators can measure programs and services. If there aren't improvements in health, then questions can be raised about the effectiveness of health programs in meeting the needs of a particular population. For example, if the results of a program aimed at reducing motor vehicle accidents in one region showed that, after a year, the accident rate went up not down, then questions like the following would have to be answered: How does the number of accidents compare with other regions? Was the program aimed at those who have the most collisions? Do the numbers of collisions represent all accidents occurring in the region or just the accidents incurred by citizens?
The group's report is only the first phase of research needed to define a set of core health indicators that could then be used as a standard by all the regional health authorities.
The SEARCH Health Indicators Project group is: Sandy Doze, Chair, Crossroads RHA Chris Jensen-Ross, Chinook HR Pat Parks, Northern Lights, HR Hildegard Campsell, Peace RHA Darlene Spelton, Lakeland HA Vivian Ceilin, Headwaters HA Wanda Tennant, Alberta Health Kelly Deis, Aspen RHA
SEARCH is an AHFMR-funded collaboration involving Alberta Health, the regional health authorities, the Provincial Mental Health Advisory Board, and the valuable participation of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. For more information about SEARCH and the upcoming SEARCH II program, please call Sharon Kalinka, Director of Special Programs, at (403) 423-5727 or e-mail skalinka@ahfmr.ab.ca. The SEARCH website is http://www.searchca.net/
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SEARCH Profiles