Using data to improve health outcomes

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Picture: Ann-Marie Cavanagh

Digital Vision: A regular column by Ann-Marie Cavanagh, Ministry of Health

The Ministry has been strengthening its data and analytics capability to reflect the importance of data in a modern health system and to support more equitable health outcomes for New Zealanders. 

Data is a powerful, valuable asset and it can provide rich insights about people and communities to improve the delivery of health outcomes for New Zealanders.

The Ministry of Health’s recently announced realignment of its structure has recognised the importance of data in addressing the Government’s priorities in health, creating a new Data and Digital directorate to replace the Technology and Digital Services business unit.

This move was made to provide a clearer focus on an area that requires Ministry leadership and shows the importance of data in a modern health system.

The Data and Digital directorate will be responsible for ensuring that our national data collections and digital technology support the health system to deliver better services and outcomes.

Tools

To enable this, the Ministry has recently obtained and launched a new business intelligence and data visualisation tool that will bring data to life to ultimately improve health outcomes. The tool from Qlik Sense provides a way of turning data we already collect and hold into information and actionable insights.

The aim of using Qlik Sense is to significantly strengthen and modernise our data and analytics capability. This is to meet the needs of the Ministry but also to create value across the whole health sector through more robust analysis. The tool will allow for datasets to be blended, bringing information out of silos and allowing for a richer view of data.

Sharing the actionable insights that come out of analysis of health data will contribute to better decision making and more equitable health outcomes for New Zealanders.

We also hope it leads to more accessible published information, as we find more efficient and effective ways of consuming and presenting data. 

Priorities

As the new Ministry structure is stood up over the coming weeks, the intent is for data and analytics to be commissioned to understand the types of equity problems and solutions that can be prioritised and woven into core business, with a focus on our priority programmes of mental health, primary care and child wellbeing.

And our new tool is already drawing together data from the Ministry’s national mental health and addiction information collection PRIMHD, the pharmaceutical data warehouse PHARMS and the National Minimum Data Set. The Mental Health section of Qlik Sense makes a range of information more accessible and easily disaggregated into groups – by age and ethnicity, for example.

The information allows us to ask more informed questions, such as whether there are there any apparent correlations between the use of compulsory treatment, medication use and access rates in DHBs. The information will allow discussion with DHBs regarding service improvement and, at a broader level, assist with mental health and addiction policy development and decision making. 

In other data developments, a machine-learning algorithm has been used to match New Zealand Health Survey responses and NHI for the first time. 

Linking survey responses with other health datasets will give policy-based researchers a more complete picture of the drivers of health outcomes, such as social deprivation, perceived health status, risk factors, behaviours and beliefs, with a patient’s relationship to health system access and service usage. 

We have recently linked the Virtual Diabetes Register to the NZHS which has provided us with behavioural and socio-economic insights for people with diabetes. 

Digital Health Strategy 

The strengthening of data and analytics capability to deliver actionable insights is in line with the Ministry’s Digital Health Vision to use technology to shape the way New Zealanders live well, stay well and get well. 

The Digital Health Strategy has actionable insights as one of its nine core components, identifying that proactive monitoring and data analysis drives continuous improvement and supports a culture of learning across health services. 

Data already collected from individuals and communities can be used to inform health planning and policy and address inequities. 

In the future, real-time data from multiple health, consumer and social sources will be brought together to provide a much clearer picture to inform action and interventions for individuals and populations.

Cross-government data strategy

The Data Strategy and Roadmap was commissioned by the Government chief data steward, who supports the use of data as a resource across government to help deliver better services. The Roadmap will enable organisations to connect data initiatives and align efforts to generate maximum impact and value of data.

With data tools and analytics being strengthened, the Ministry of Health is able to work more effectively with other government agencies and sectors to use data and information to help achieve priority social outcomes.

Read more about the Vision for Health Technology theme 'Actionable insights'

Ann-Marie Cavanagh is the Ministry of Health’s chief technology and digital services officer  

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