IJPDS International Journal of Population Data Science

A new study published in the International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS) highlights the growing role of government health analytics since the Covid-19 global outbreak.

Health data are routinely collected by governments and other service organisations to support decision-making. Demand for health data and analytics by researchers, businesses, and the public has increased in recent years, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In New Brunswick, Canada, teams in the provincial health ministry analyse various types of data to inform health system assessments and improvements. However, until now, little was known about the public service personnel dedicated to the underlying data and information systems.

In a series of surveys, government analytics managers outlined the need for innovation in attracting and retaining staff with in-demand skills in a meaningful career, while maintaining competitiveness against universities and private companies. Recruitment and retention of skilled analytics professionals was identified as a top priority, including better planning, competitive compensation packages to address skills shortages, professional development, and tracking employee satisfaction. As one respondent raised, “health analytics has always been viewed as important but during Covid the world discovered the real value of data. It is not only a commodity that can be influenced in the private sector for financial gains, but an important resource within government.”

Although the survey findings centred on the situation in the province of New Brunswick, many aspects were generalisable to other contexts. James Ayles, lead author of the study, commented that “It is hoped this report will inspire jurisdictions around the world to measure how government analytics capacity is valued and developed for advancing population health science and data use for positive impact.”

The study not only demonstrated the critical role of government health analytics professionals, it also served as a learning opportunity for a postdoctoral fellow. One of the study authors, Maria Lima, was engaged in the survey while completing an internship under the Consortium on Analytics for Data–Driven Decision-Making (CAnD3) training program in partnership with the Government of New Brunswick, University of New Brunswick, and McGill University. Neeru Gupta, professor at the University of New Brunswick, remarked, “the involvement of a CAnD3 trainee in the government-driven survey offered an occasion for developing knowledge of professional practices related to health leadership, notably by focusing on the ‘people’ side of health analytics.”

For more information on the CAnD3 experiential learning program, please visit www.mcgill.ca/cand3.

 

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James Ayles, Director of Health Analytics, Government of New Brunswick (Canada)

Ayles, J., Lima, M. and Gupta, N. (2024) “Public sector health analytics capacity before and after Covid-19: A case study of manager perspectives in New Brunswick, Canada”, International Journal of Population Data Science, 9(1). Available at: https://ijpds.org/article/view/2370 (Accessed: 22 July 2024).