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IMPROVED ACCESS TO DATA AND INFORMATION

Develop and implement new information management systems

The new Division Information Online System developed by PHC RIS meant that in 2007 Divisions and SBOs could complete their 2007-08 Annual Plans and 2006-07 Annual reports on-line for the first time. The use of version control and centralised information storage streamlined the processing of the Annual Plans and Reports with benefits for Divisions and the Department. PHC RIS uploaded a data package which DoHA provides to Divisions for reporting against national performance indicators into the on-line system, which reduced respondent burden and transcription errors.

Maintain information management systems

In 2007 all PHC RIS IM systems were updated and maintained. The Roadmap Of Australian primary health care Research (ROAR) database was developed to raise awareness of primary health care research and researchers, reduce duplication of research effort, and facilitate collaborative research partnerships. In 2007 it was updated to increase its size, accuracy and user-friendliness. By the end of 2007 ROAR's content had increased in all areas. (See table 1)

Display and disseminate

PHC RIS comprehensive website, the centre of PHC RIS IM systems, is functional, up to date and easy to navigate. It is used by more than 5000 unique (and multiple repeat) visitors each month. Communications between users and PHC RIS indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the IM systems with regard to ease of use, relevance of content, navigation and timeliness of information and updates.

The website is the first place I look if I need anything on Primary Health Care Research. It is a way of keeping in touch with colleagues from other states.
- Rolling survey response, Jan 2007

Information collected by PHC RIS is disseminated principally via the PHC RIS website and email. This includes products such as PHC RIS eBulletin, Roadmap Of Australian primary health care Research (ROAR), and PHC RIS infonet, and the suite of on-line products developed from ASD data. For the first time, the website displayed the content of most of the 2005-2006 12 Month reports prepared under the Multi Program Agreement National Quality and Performance System.

To make the most recent Divisions data more readily accessible to users' PHC RIS developed innovative on-line tools. The Divisions Mapping, Key Characteristics and Benchmarking Tools (which allow users to compare Divisions with the same demographic characteristics and enable easy identification of Divisions conducting the same programs and activities) all received over 1000 hits per month. The Division Profiles pages received approximately 2000 hits per month, indicating the ongoing usefulness of these products to stakeholders. In addition, Fast Facts (information snapshots which show trends over time, providing a whole new way of looking at the data collected from the Annual Survey of Divisions) received an average of 1800 hits in its first two months.

Support users in providing and accessing information

Clear questions, inbuilt validation and calculation of data points made it easier for Divisions of General Practice to provide accurate data to the on-line Annual Survey of Divisions in 2007, for the second year. All survey responses were submitted three weeks earlier than the previous year, through consistency of questions, format and procedure. Fewer than 200 data anomalies required clarification with Divisions, compared to about 4000 prior to the introduction of the on-line system in 2005-06.

Table 2 shows the incoming PHC RIS Assist traffic in 2007. March, August, September and October were the busiest months, coinciding with the peak planning and reporting periods. PHC RIS responded within one working day to 97% of these requests.

PHC RIS has a lot of integrity, it's a good source of information. There is a value of having a centralised deposit of knowledge. Very valuable. PHC RIS is easy to deal with.
- Rolling survey response, Jan 2007