by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Composite health indicators are valuable tools to assess population health over time and to identify areas for intervention. A scoping review of indices to measure a community's health status is published in Population Health Management.

Susan Pastula, MPH, from EpidStrategies (a division of ToxStrategies LLC), and co-authors used the following steps to conduce the scoping review: identify the research question, identify relevant studies, chart the data, collate and report results.

The researchers concluded that "While a limited number of community health indices were identified in the scoping review, the indices included a broad range of indicators covering both health outcomes and factors contributing to health vulnerabilities. The public data sources and geographic information integration of the indices provide potential for broad, insightful applications to various contexts across the US."

"Using these indices to perform a multi-factorial assessment of community health patterns may help inform regional, state, and local policy strategies that aim to improve community health and reduce social inequities," stated the investigators.

"Susan and her colleagues did a masterful job in adding to our knowledge of measuring the health status of populations," says David Nash, MD, MBA, Editor-in-Chief of Population Health Management, and Founding Dean Emeritus and Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor, Jefferson College of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA. "This work is a cornerstone in support of the move to Value Based Payment and reducing waste in our system of care."

More information: Susan T. Pastula et al, Scoping Review of Indices to Measure a Community's Health Status, Population Health Management (2024). DOI: 10.1089/pop.2024.0138

Provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc