MICA: A community-based infrastructure for needs assessment, priority setting and intervention planning


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3268.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 3:10 PM

Abstract #112515

Julie M. Bender, MPH, CHES¹, Laura K. Brennan Ramirez, PhD, MPH¹, Beth Baker, PhD, MPH², and Garland Land, MPH³. (1) Transtria, LLC, 3525 Watson Road, Suite R, St. Louis, MO 63139, 314-781-1562, julie@transtria.com, (2) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63104, (3) Center for Health Information Management and Evaluation, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570

The purpose of this presentation is to introduce an interactive, web-based system designed to enhance needs assessment, priority setting and intervention planning at the state and local levels. The Missouri Information for Community Assessment (MICA) system was developed to make health data and intervention strategies accessible at the local level, through an easy to use format. MICA is an interactive multi-component system that allows users to obtain data for community needs assessment (e.g., Community Profiles), prioritize health conditions using specific criteria (i.e., Priorities MICA) and select and implement intervention strategies (i.e., Intervention MICA). In order to understand how health practitioners and community groups process and use the information presented in these systems, a pilot test of the MICA system was conducted. In-depth quantitative and qualitative feedback was collected from public health practitioners and community groups about their experience using the system. These potential users were asked to sign on to the overall MICA system and go through a hypothetical case example using the planning, intervention and evaluation tools in the system. As part of a web-based survey, participants also answered a series of questions regarding their decision-making process that moved them from the Community Profiles system through the Intervention MICA system. Findings have been used to evaluate the system overall as well as to obtain initial sense of the implications for various user groups. These findings as well as a case study that illustrates the process of using the MICA system will be demonstrated.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• Describe a community-based infrastructure for needs assessment, priority setting and/or intervention planning using an interactive, web-based system.
• Illustrate the use of the essential components of the web-based system, including obtaining health data, setting priorities and selecting intervention strategies.
• Summarize feedback from different user audiences and implications for ongoing development of the system.

Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Community Health Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Using Technology to Promote Evidence-based Needs Assessment, Priority Setting and Intervention Planning at the State and Local Levels

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA