The Perinatal Data Center (PDC) of the National March of Dimes is applying for a two-year information system grant to conduct the """"""""PeriStats Expansion, Training and Dissemination Project"""""""". Through PeriStats, a database driven web site that was launched in 2001, the PDC provides interactive, timely, highly informative national, state and county perinatal data, as well as facilitative resources and technical support to use this information free of charge. However, as with many digital information resources, there is a need for targeted training, evaluation and enhancements to increase awareness, utilization and usability. This project will target health professionals and medical librarians with two overall goals: a) to increase access to and utilization of county, state and national perinatal data, and relevant Healthy People 2010 Objectives through the PeriStatsweb site; and b) to increase utility and utilization of PeriStats by integrating access to perinatal data and relevant biomedical literature for professional audiences in maternal and infant health. The specific objectives are to: 1) expand functionality on PeriStats, including the development of contextual linkages between perinatal data and biomedical literature; 2) increase access to and utilization of perinatal data for health professionals and medical librarians; and 3) support ongoing evaluation of the usability and utility of the PeriStats web site to targeted audiences. Collaboration with the New York Academy of Medicine and its Division of Information Management will provide the expertise and many resources for the project. Implementation of PeriStats enhancements will include new functionality such as integration of PubMed search strategies, with on-going technical refinements. Four trainings will be conducted annually, two at NYAM and two at satellite March of Dimes chapters, to train at least 100 professionals (health professionals and medical librarians). Evaluation of the project will include pre- and post- testing of all trainees, web site user monitoring, and a robust usability evaluation of a subset of the trainees. A demonstration document for medical librarians to promote PeriStats will be produced as an adjunct to traditional perinatal resources and an accessibility assessment plan to promote compliance with federal mandates for users with disabilities. The products and results of this proposal will be widely disseminated through the extensive national network of the March of Dimes and the NYAM medical library.
