Keywords

child, communities of practice, diffusion of innovation, information dissemination, information systems, knowledge management, public health informatics, systems integration

Authors

1. Wild, Ellen L. MPH
2. Richmond, Patricia A. BA
3. Merode, Louis de MS, MA
4. Smith, John D. MArch

Abstract

Integrated child health information systems consolidate data about multiple health care services a child receives into information useful to families, private health care providers, public health officials, and others. The challenges to successful integration faced by public health agencies are similar, yet system integration projects have historically struggled in isolation to overcome these barriers. All Kids Count created a community of practice called Connections to bring together 11 state and local public health agencies engaged in child health information system integration projects to learn from each other, capture best practices, and collaboratively address challenges. As demonstrated by All Kids Count Connections, communities of practice can be employed by geographically distributed public health agencies to address complex issues.