Knowledge exchange through data |
PHC RIS extrapolates, analyses and synthesises data into information, that is readily accessible and appropriately presented, for exchange between policy makers, researchers and the Divisions of General Practice Network.
Stocktake of primary health care research in Australia
RCBI annual reports
Divisions Online Reporting System
In May 2010 PHC RIS collaborated with APHCRI to provide a stocktake of the current state of primary health care research in Australia. The work aimed to identify the current strengths and weaknesses of Australian primary health care research in light of current health priorities and to identify ways in which current research gaps might be addressed.
The stocktake indicated that the strengths of primary health care research in Australia are:
- A supportive targeted infrastructure to develop research and researchers
- A diverse research workforce
- A culture of research collaboration
- Broad research activity covering models of care, workforce needs, interventions for specific population groups.
Research into patient centered care, health literacy and self management, is more limited and some research areas need to be enhanced to provide evidence to meet the needs of the future health system. The Stocktake report is available to download from the APHCRI website.
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As part of its support to the 26 University Departments of General Practice and Rural Health, the Research Capacity Building Initiatives (RCBIs) are required to submit annual reports on their activities to the Department of Health and Ageing. PHC RIS supports this process by providing a year-on-year comparison of these results which highlight the achievements of RCBIs in increasing the number of:
- researchers supported by RCBI
- Researcher Development Program Fellows
- external grant applications
- successful grants
- peer review papers
- presentations.
The latest four year (2006-2009) report provided by PHC RIS is available in the PHC RIS infonet article What RCBIs achieved in 4 years (2006-2009) from the February 2011 issue or from the PHCRED webpages on the PHC RIS website.
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In 2010, there were 111 Divisions of General Practice (DGP) and two hybrid State-Based Organisation (SBO) Divisions operating in Australia. The shared aim of the Divisions Network is to strengthen the primary health care capacity of Australian general practice. The DGP "play a major part in implementing policy, supporting general practice and managing health programs at a local level".
Reference: Australian General Practice Network. (2008). What Divisions do: A snoapshot of General Practice Network 2006-2007. Canberra: AGPN
In line with this, Divisions are contractually required to report on the progress of a range of programs and activities conducted within their catchment areas, such as immunisation, Closing the Gap, allied health and rural health. Annual reporting against these associated National Performance Indicators is required at 6 and 12 month intervals.
The introduction of an on-line reporting system in 2005-06 streamlined these reporting processes, facilitating data entry, collation and analysis.
Once Divisions' reports have been submitted through the on-line system and are approved by their state and territory offices, these data are made publicly available on the PHC RIS website.
PHC RIS makes a large volume of data and information palatable and easy to use through their Annual Survey, and through the Divisions Benchmarking and Divisions Mapping tools. Stacey Edwards, RHealth, Toowoomba
Improving access to information
PHC RIS made a number of notable improvements to the Divisions Online Reporting System in 2010, making it easier for Divisions to compare their own data with the performance of other Divisions including:
the charting feature - enables users to generate a chart based on the filter options selected
the search function - which runs searches across the entire on-line system based on the key words that are input.
Final testing and development of the data entry component for Rural Primary Health Services (RPHS) was conducted toward the end of 2010 and was added to the Divisions Online Reporting System in preparation for RPHS reporting requirements in early 2011. This data program will enable eligible Divisions to report on the allied health and other activities of RPHS.
The Annual Survey of Divisions (ASD) is a comprehensive survey completed by all Divisions as part of their 12 month reporting process to collect information on their membership, activities and infrastructure.
PHC RIS uses ASD data to provide Individual Feedback reports which contribute to Divisions' benchmarking and quality improvement processes. ASD data is compiled into the Summary Data Report, which provides aggregate analysis at state and Rural and Remote Metropolitan Area (RRMA) level for policy, Divisions Network, research and wider stakeholder use.
In addition, ASD data are reproduced in various PHC RIS on-line information tools and resources including:
Division Key Characteristics: current demographic and workforce data
Fast Facts: graphing key trend 'snapshots' about Division characteristics/activities
Division Benchmarking Tool: compare Divisions with other 'like' Divisions
Division Mapping Tool: map where specific programs/activities are taking place
Division and SBO Profiles: contact details including telephone, website, CEO details, other links.
What the on-line system does
In summary, the Divisions Online Reporting System enables users to access submitted data and to view key Characteristics by Division and State boundaries, such as number of GPs (including female, over 55), number of practice nurses and number of general practices. It is also possible to view is a list of Divisions and SBOs, full reports, National Performance Indicator (NPI) data - individually or aggregated (by state, RRMA) - Successes and Challenges, Collaborations and Executive Summaries. Visit <www.phcris.org.au/divisions> to see what else is available.
AGPN has used PHC RIS services and information from the Divisions reporting area to prepare its own report to the Department and has always found PHC RIS staff involved in this area to be especially helpful.
Emil Djakic, Chair, AGPN
The charting feature
The charting feature enables users to filter selected data and have it generated into a line, 2D or 3D graph. For example, by checking Divisions in NSW, NT, SA and TAS and selecting 'PIP practices claiming practice nurse services' for the 2008-2009 reporting period you can display this data in chart form.
Reference: PHC RIS infonet: Making Divisions data work for you, Vol 15, Issue 1, October 2010 & PHC RIS infoByte: Divisions' Matters: Making Divisions' data work for you
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 PHC RIS Assist is a free telephone and email service offered to our stakeholders to help them find the information they need, when they need it.
Whether you are a member of a Divisions Network who needs assistance with your 12 month report or a researcher looking for specific information about a research project or organisation, PHC RIS Assist can provide you with the answers you are looking for.
In 2010 PHC RIS Assist received over 950 enquiries, spiking in March (146 enquiries) – due to Divisions submitting their 6 month reports - in June (106 enquiries) - which coincided with the deadline for the 2010 – 2011 Annual Plans - and in September (188 enquires) – the deadline for 12 month reports.
As Program Manager I have often contacted PHC RIS Assist when completing the Division Reports on line. I am from the old school of needing to talk to a 'real person' and the staff have been very helpful and tolerant of my queries over the years.
Linden Harper, St George DGP, NSW
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