McCullough J Mac, Eisen-Cohen Eileen, Salas S Bianca
School for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Arizona State University, 550 N 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 4041 N Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85012, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2016 Jul 13;16:566. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3194-7.
Many health departments collaborate with community organizations on community health improvement processes. While a number of resources exist to plan and implement a community health improvement plan (CHIP), little empirical evidence exists on how to leverage and expand partnerships when implementing a CHIP. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of the network involved in implementing the CHIP in one large community. The aims of this analysis are to: 1) identify essential network partners (and thereby highlight potential network gaps), 2) gauge current levels of partner involvement, 3) understand and effectively leverage network resources, and 4) enable a data-driven approach for future collaborative network improvements.
We collected primary data via survey from n = 41 organizations involved in the Health Improvement Partnership of Maricopa County (HIPMC), in Arizona. Using the previously validated Program to Analyze, Record, and Track Networks to Enhance Relationships (PARTNER) tool, organizations provided information on existing ties with other coalition members, including frequency and depth of partnership and eight categories of perceived value/trust of each current partner organization.
The coalition's overall network had a density score of 30 %, degree centralization score of 73 %, and trust score of 81 %. Network maps are presented to identify existing relationships between HIPMC members according to partnership frequency and intensity, duration of involvement in the coalition, and self-reported contributions to the coalition. Overall, number of ties and other partnership measures were positively correlated with an organization's perceived value and trustworthiness as rated by other coalition members.
Our study presents a novel use of social network analysis methods to evaluate the coalition of organizations involved in implementing a CHIP in an urban community. The large coalition had relatively low network density but high degree centralization-meaning key organizations link organizations otherwise not tightly partnering. Coalition members rated each other highly on trust, a positive sign for future partnership development efforts. Examination of network maps reveal key organizations that can be targeted for future partnership facilitation and expansion. Future network data collection will enable exploration of longitudinal trends and exploration of network characteristics versus health behavior, status, and outcome changes.
许多卫生部门与社区组织合作开展社区健康改善工作。虽然有许多资源可用于规划和实施社区健康改善计划（CHIP），但关于在实施CHIP时如何利用和扩大伙伴关系的实证证据却很少。本研究的目的是确定在一个大型社区实施CHIP过程中所涉及网络的特征。该分析的目的包括：1）确定重要的网络伙伴（从而突出潜在的网络差距），2）评估伙伴参与的当前水平，3）理解并有效利用网络资源，4）实现数据驱动的方法以促进未来合作网络的改进。
我们通过对亚利桑那州马里科帕县健康改善伙伴关系（HIPMC）所涉及的n = 41个组织进行调查来收集原始数据。使用先前经过验证的分析、记录和跟踪网络以增强关系的程序（PARTNER）工具，各组织提供了与其他联盟成员现有联系的信息，包括伙伴关系的频率和深度以及对每个当前伙伴组织的八类感知价值/信任度。
该联盟的整体网络密度得分为30%，度中心性得分为73%，信任度得分为81%。呈现网络图以根据伙伴关系频率和强度、参与联盟的持续时间以及对联盟的自我报告贡献来确定HIPMC成员之间的现有关系。总体而言，联系数量和其他伙伴关系指标与其他联盟成员对一个组织的感知价值和可信度呈正相关。
我们的研究展示了社会网络分析方法在评估城市社区中参与实施CHIP的组织联盟方面的新应用。这个大型联盟的网络密度相对较低，但度中心性较高——这意味着关键组织将原本没有紧密合作的组织联系起来。联盟成员在信任方面相互评价很高，这对未来伙伴关系发展努力来说是一个积极信号。对网络图的检查揭示了可作为未来促进和扩大伙伴关系目标的关键组织。未来的网络数据收集将有助于探索纵向趋势以及网络特征与健康行为、状况和结果变化之间的关系。
