Accreditation has the potential to advance and strengthen public health services, contributing to improved health outcomes and a more equitable public health system. PHAB offers a range of data that has been used in a variety of ways by researchers, students, health departments, policymakers, and public health partners. Interested in using PHAB data? Here are some recent examples that may inspire you to think about different ways PHAB data can be used in your own work:
- An Accredited local health department requested data on health departments similar in population and budget. Using that information, they were able to collaborate with those health departments to understand different workforce and organizational models.
- A study examined how PHAB Accreditation supported health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining county level rates of adult vaccination, hospitalization, and death by local health department Accreditation status over the course of the COVID pandemic.
- A doctoral student requested Site Visitor assessments and comments for Measures related to performance management to inform a dissertation related to quality improvement planning among Accredited health departments.
PHAB’s Accreditation Activity webpage offers a list of current and previously PHAB Accredited organizations as well as their city, state, health department type, Accredited/Reaccredited date, and Accreditation/Reaccreditation version of the Standards & Measures, free of charge.
PHAB also offers:
- Profile information about health departments including variables such as population, jurisdiction type, budget, FTEs, etc.
- Information about performance on measures for Pathways, Initial Accreditation, and Reaccreditation; narratives from reports from the Accreditation or Recognition review, action plans, Annual Reports, and Readiness Assessments
- Documentation to demonstrate conformity with measures
To protect health departments’ confidentiality, this data must be requested through PHAB’s Data Request Form.
For more detailed information on requesting PHAB data, please refer to the PHAB Research and Data Use Guidelines. Information regarding dataset development, data limitations, and codebook access is available within the PHAB Data and Codebook resource.
For questions and to submit research proposals, please reach out to us at research@phaboard.org.
Britt Lang, MA, MPH, is a Senior Research Specialist at the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). In that role, they conduct internal and external research and evaluation activities related to PHAB operations. Prior to joining PHAB, Britt was the Senior Research Coordinator for the Division of Family Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, conducting research on contraception, miscarriage management, and abortion care. They hold a master’s degree in public health from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in English from Temple University, and an undergraduate degree in English from The College of New Jersey.