To create opportunities for public health and health care system alignment to improve community health, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) created a population health driver diagram framework. A population health driver diagram can be used collaboratively by public health, health care, and other partners to identify the potential primary and secondary drivers that can help to achieve an identified community health objective. Communities may use a population health driver diagram as a starting point for discussion among stakeholders, and to help create an atmosphere of cooperation by enabling each participant to identify their organization’s role in addressing the health challenge.

 

This tool provides steps for constructing a population health driver diagram to achieve a community health objective. Using a Tree Diagram(i) structure, this tool may help communities build a driver diagram that includes a general AIM statement, goals of the AIM statement, and primary and secondary drivers of a specific population health challenge. The primary drivers provide broader drivers that may help achieve the AIM, and can be explored and broken down into a set of more specific and precise secondary drivers, from which targeted interventions can be developed and implemented.

 

PHF has used the population health driver diagram framework before with communities, having developed and piloted the Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship Driver Diagram, which outlines primary and secondary drivers of optimal antibiotic use. In June 2014, PHF completed development of a second driver diagram, the Population Health Driver Diagram to Increase Use of Oral Health Care, and is currently seeking sponsors to help pilot and further refine the driver diagram for use in communities throughout the United States. Most recently, PHF develop the Vector Control Population Health Driver Diagram that has been used as a tool by the health departments as they considered strategies for their performance improvement activities.

 

 

 

Additional Resources:
A population health driver diagram is a versatile tool that can be applied to almost any complex health improvement objective. PHF offers customized technical assistance to communities developing and implementing a population health driver diagram. To learn more about this service, contact Ron Bialek at (202)218-4420 or rbialek@phf.org.

 

The Population Health Driver Diagram is one of many supplements to the 2012 Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia, a practical guide to using 75 tools for quality improvement practitioners in public health organizations. The book was distributed to all state and local health departments, and may be purchased through PHF's Online Store.

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 i - Public Health Quality Improvement Encyclopedia, Public Health Foundation, Washington, DC, 2012, pp. 145-146.