The document discusses how health informatics and geographic information systems (GIS) can help public health leaders address health issues. It provides an example of how GIS was used during the Black Death plague to identify relationships between disease spread and rodent populations or human demographics. Today, public health organizations use information systems and GIS to guide strategic planning, policy analysis, and performance evaluation. For a specific health issue like obesity, these tools can analyze geographic health data and equity impacts to inform decision-making. Strong leadership is needed to effectively manage health data and technology for the benefit of communities.

1. Topic: Topic: Health Informatics and Public Health Leadership
Topic: Topic: Health Informatics and Public Health LeadershipTopic: Topic: Health
Informatics and Public Health LeadershipPermalink: https:// /topic-topic-heal…ealth-
leadership/ ?Order DescriptionThe Black Death, or bubonic plague, swept through medieval
Europe in the mid-1300s, killing 30%–50% of the population. The disease was so quick to
claim lives that individuals could be “healthy in the morning and dead by evening” (Walsh,
2014). Although that the source of the disease was later determined to be the fleas of
rodents, medical practitioners at the time believed the disease to be communicable. One
measure was to enforce laws requiring the reporting of individuals who had contracted the
disease. This early example of disease reporting and surveillance was a precursor to what
we now know as public health informatics.This week, you examine the application of health
information systems (HISs) and health information management technology in public
health. You look at how one type of data analysis, a geographic information system (GIS),
may be used in public health strategic planning and identify terms and concepts related to
public health informatics.• Apply health informatics technology in public health• Identify
terms and concepts related to public health informaticsConsider the example of the bubonic
plague in the Introduction. How might shared information on the geographic representation
of the disease have changed the course of diagnosis and even treatment? Perhaps
physicians of that time would have been able to discover that cities with large rodent
populations also had a high incidence of the plague, which might have helped them to
pinpoint the source of the disease sooner. Or perhaps they would have been able to better
trace the direction of the plague from one regional area to another, or the demographics of
the individuals who tended to get it. Today, public health organizations are fortunate to
have at their disposal a wealth of information systems that serve as essential public health
tools. These systems are used to guide public health decisions on everything from
epidemiologic disease and risk factor surveillance to facility billing and records to policy
development. The need for information is not so much the issue as the usability of the data.
Thus, well-designed information systems are key to managing the data and organizing it
into relevant information. Public health organizations heavily rely on such systems to
inform managerial decision making and improve operations, planning, policy analysis,
health outcomes assessment, epidemiologic surveillance, and program evaluation and
performance measurement.One type of health data analysis tool is a geographic information
system (GIS). The CDC (n.d.-c) defines GIS as “a collection of science and technology tools
used to manage geographic relationships and integrate information. GIS helps us analyze

2. spatially-referenced data and make well-informed decisions based on the association
between the data and the geography.”A system is only as good as the leadership applied to
it, however. How might public health administrators best use their leadership skills to
manage data and informatics in a strategic way that benefits the organization and its
stakeholders and constituents?Reflect on the media, especially the piece titled Public Health
Informatics regarding how individuals in the Howard County Health Department employed
the use of GIS and other health informatics in their daily work.For your identified public
health problem obesity in North East Washington DC, conduct research using health
information systems (HISs) and health information management (HIM). Refer to Table 14.2
in your textbook and the GIS section on the CDC’s website. (2–3 paragraphs in APA style)
description of specific health or health-related issues at a county level from the data gleaned
from one these sites. From a leader’s perspective, how would you apply geographic
information systems (GIS) technology in evaluating health issues, such as equity and
impact? Then, explain how health informatics technology functions to inform and the
strategic planning process. Be specific and provide examples.References• Shi, L., & Johnson,
J. A. (2014). Novick and Morrow’s public health administration: Principles for population-
based management (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.o Chapter 13, “Public
Health Information Systems and Management” (pp. 267–288)o Chapter 14, “Geographic
Information Systems for Public Health” (pp. 289–312)• Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). (n.d.-b). Foodborne diseases active surveillance network (FoodNet).
Retrieved October 6, 2014, from https://www.cdc.gov/foodnet/• Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.-c). Geographic information systems (GIS) at CDC.
Retrieved October 6, 2014, from https://www.cdc.gov/gis/• Public Health Informatics
Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014, from https://www.phii.org/Media• Laureate
Education (Producer). (2014d). Public health informatics [Video file]. Baltimore, MD:
Author.