Taking real public health tools to real public health professionals: Blending research and practice

The public health system (PHS) is an interdependent network of public and private institutions.  Many functions pertaining to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery are directed by law.  Pitt Public Health legal researchers and social network professionals analyzed over 6,500 relevant state and federal laws.  The purpose of the project was to develop research finding and then translate them in a way useful to public health practitioners.  We created two interconnected tools to facilitate the practical use of gathered information:  The Public Health Adaptive Systems Studies Database (PHASYS Database), a searchable database of laws pertaining to emergencies with public health implications; and, the LEgal Network Analyzer (LENA), an interactive network visualization of PHS relationships in a single discrete state or the federal government, between two states, or between one state and the federal government.  Pitt Public Health conducted site visits at 6 local health departments and engaged over 80 practice partners nationwide to test the utility of the tools.  Additionally, a virtual site visit with state health department practitioners was conducted via webinar.  Practitioners identified a wide variety of important public health issues, such as which PHS agents are responsible for responding during nuclear/radiologic disasters, the role governmental public health plays in planning for mass casualty events, and the best practices for information sharing between PHS agents.   These interactions allowed Pitt Public Health explore the utility and application of its research, address real life questions, assist in community readiness, elicit feedback concerning “end user friendliness,” and engage practitioners in tool refinement.