Describe two databases or resources your organization uses to gather evidence on current
or emerging public health program or interventions used to improve the health of the
target population. Discuss the strategy used to select these evidence-based resources and
identify one additional tool or resource currently not being used that might be helpful for
the organization.
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As stipulated by Charlett, Harcourt, & Smith (2018), evidence-based health interventions
describe the programs, policies, and practices proven effective by exemplifying factors such as
the inclusion of interventions based on evidence in the federal registries. As such, different
databases or resources are used in organizations to gather evidence on current and emerging
public health programs or interventions aimed at improving the health of the target population.
Specifically, in my organization, the databases used include the Community Guide. This free
resource allows the selection of policies and programs that focus on improving and preventing
diseases in communities. The second database entails the Healthy People 2020 site that provides
vast information and strategies based on evidence obtained from resources such as the National
Library of Medicine, PubMed, and MEDLINE (RHI Hub, 2020).
Most fundamentally, the strategy used in selecting the evidence-based resources entails
assessing whether the database demonstrates the inclusivity of federal registries proven through
evidence. It further involves determining whether the database has published reports in peer-
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reviewed journals or documented its findings in other reputable sources of information, which
has also acquired consensus among a panel of informed experts (Charlett, Harcourt, & Smith,
2018). However, an additional tool that would suffice the collection of the vast evidence in a
relatively thorough process entails public health surveillance. This tool focuses on integrating
timely dissemination of the data obtained to the relevant stakeholders to ensure the effective
prevention and control of diseases and injuries. This tool facilitates the estimation of the health
behavior and status of the populations that receive services from the ministries of health, finance,
and other donors (Charlett, Harcourt, & Smith, 2018).
References
Charlett, A., Harcourt, S., & Smith, G. (2018). Updating syndromic surveillance baselines
following public health interventions. Online Journal of Public Health
Informatics, 10(1).
RHI Hub. (2020). Identifying evidence-based and promising program models- Rural Health
Information (RHI) Hub.