Performance & Quality Improvement

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

September 29, 2017

Motor vehicle deaths are 3 to 10 times higher in rural America, depending on the region.
Sixty-one percent of people who died in fatal crashes in the most rural counties in America were not wearing their seat belts.
States and communities can use evidence-based interventions to reduce rural-urban disparities in seat belt use and death rates among adult drivers and passengers.

August 11, 2017

The number of motor vehicle crashes involving 17- and 18-year old drivers increased in 2014 and 2015, and crashes remained the leading cause of death for US teens.
Eight danger zones—like driver inexperience and nighttime driving—contribute to teen crashes.
The strategies in CDC’s Graduated Driver Licensing System Planning Guide can help states evaluate and improve their programs addressing these leading causes of teen driver crashes.

July 14, 2017

About 198 million people—or almost two-thirds of the US population—are now served by a health department accredited through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).
More than 90% of accredited health departments report that accreditation stimulates quality improvement, strengthens accountability and transparency, and improves management processes.
Health departments preparing for accreditation can use a crosswalk of PHAB accreditation standards and CDC’s Prevention Status Reports, as well as other tools and resources from CDC and its partners.

March 4, 2016

People who receive medical care can get serious infections called healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which can lead to sepsis or death.
In certain kinds of hospitals, 1 in 4 HAIs are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are urgent and serious threats to health.
Healthcare professionals should adopt critical actions with every patient every time to prevent HAIs and stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.

January 29, 2016

Many Americans have problems using or understanding common health information, such as prescription directions or immunization charts.
Public health organizations should have a plan to ensure that their health messages are understandable.
CDC’s Everyday Words for Public Health Communication [PDF-360KB] suggests substitute wording for difficult public health terms and offers tips to make information clearer.

August 7, 2015

Antibiotic-resistant germs cause more than 2 million illnesses and at least 23,000 deaths each year in the United States.
National initiatives for infection control and antibiotic stewardship could prevent 619,000 antibiotic-resistant and Clostridium difficile infections over 5 years.
A coordinated approach, where healthcare facilities and health departments work together, could prevent these life-threatening infections—according to this month’s Vital Signs.

July 31, 2015

Public health laboratory scientists are critical to identifying, tracking, and limiting [PDF-6.5MB] public health threats: from detecting toxins in water sources to helping stem the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Public health labs face challenges in maintaining and enhancing the workforce [PDF-2.3MB], as they confront significant staff losses and limited capacity to train workers.
Laboratory scientists, leaders, and trainers can adopt and implement recently published competency guidelines [PDF-1.4MB] to strengthen their workforce.

May 29, 2015

CDC has a new tool to help public health agencies, organizations, and individuals improve and invest [PDF–503KB] in the health of their communities: the Community Health Improvement Navigator.
Search the Navigator and its database for interventions that work and case examples that public health agencies can use to partner with hospitals.
By working together, engaging the community, communicating, and sustaining results, you can help make your community health improvement efforts collaborative and successful.

July 25, 2014

The Practical Playbook provides free tools, guidance, and success stories for public health and primary care integration.
Improvements in population health take place in tandem: primary care provides real-time data, and public health promotes community wellness and education.
First steps to improving integration include learning the value of working together and searching for models among successful projects.

March 7, 2014

Doctors in some hospitals prescribed up to 3 times as many antibiotics as doctors in similar areas of other hospitals, according to a newly released study of antibiotic prescribing practices in a sample of US hospitals, based on 2010 data.
Reducing the use of high-risk antibiotics by 30% can lower C. difficile infections by 26%.
State health departments can help hospitals develop antibiotic stewardship programs by facilitating the use of the CDC self-assessment checklist and an in-depth implementation tool.

December 9, 2011

The new National Research Agenda for Public Health Services and Systems advances scientific studies on how best to organize, finance, and deliver public health strategies.
More evidence about public health systems and support is needed to implement effective strategies to promote health in every community.
Expanded research on public health systems will allow every community to enjoy the benefits of prevention.