RTI International to Develop Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International has been awarded a contract from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop an online database and communication platform to help public health professionals share information about quality improvement initiatives.

While sustained national efforts at quality improvement are critical to optimizing health across all populations, there is no nationally recognized online collaboration resource for quality improvement in public health.

The Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange (PHQIX) will serve as an online centralized communication hub to support quality improvement efforts in public health practices throughout the United States.

When it launches in September 2012, the website will include a searchable online database and interactive discussion features to facilitate increased knowledge and understanding of quality improvement initiatives. Users will be able to submit their own quality improvement initiatives online and search for interventions and tools relevant to their specific health department and community needs.

To encourage involvement among public health professionals, the website will also include a forum for dialogue among the site’s users including discussions, chats with experts, social media sharing, commenting and questions on all quality improvement initiatives in the database.

“This interactive forum will make quality improvement knowledge accessible in a free, searchable database,” said Jamie Pina, Ph.D., research scientist at RTI. “We’re placing a great deal of emphasis on the communication features of the exchange. We have a rigorous social media campaign and quality improvement experts available to provide insight on user submissions so that successes, lessons, and challenges can be shared across public health departments.” 

The $2 million award builds on RTI International’s reputation as a leader in public health informatics and health information technology, which includes a portfolio that encompasses a wide range of areas related to the use of technology to improve the quality and efficiency of public health and health care delivery.

For more information, visit the temporary blog at http://qiexchangesandbox.blogspot.com/p/about.html.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable and timely change. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.