Quality of public health information: Lessons from the field

There is high-quality information in public health that can, and should, be used for developing, implementing, and evaluating public health policies and programs. Problems often exist in finding this quality information or the data that can be used for its development. Even when the information may exist, it is not always accessed or recognized for its potential usefulness. Training individuals on how to access information, to assess quality, and to use information that already is available is crucial. In addition, investing in the cataloging of quality information and in establishing “authoritative” sources of quality information can increase substantially the use of data for public health policies and programs.