Using a community-engaged health informatics approach to develop a web analytics research platform for sharing data...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• Marginalized communities often lack inclusion in health research planning and data access.
• The Transitions Clinic Network (TCN) serves patients with a history of incarceration, a population frequently excluded from research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a health informatics system, WARP (Web Analytics Research Platform), enabling stakeholder access to and analysis of research data.
• To address the exclusion of marginalized communities in health research by fostering data accessibility and engagement.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a community-based participatory research approach.
• Utilized data from a cohort study of 751 TCN patients.
• Incorporated feedback from patient focus groups and TCN research team workshops.

Main Results:

• Developed WARP, a platform providing de-identified patient data access.
• WARP streamlines data processing and includes a web analytic tool for statistical analysis.
• The development process engaged patients, community health workers, and policymakers.

Conclusions:

• The developed WARP system advances mechanisms for stakeholder engagement in health research.
• This approach promotes greater inclusivity and data ownership for marginalized communities.
• Future evaluations will assess WARP's impact on community engagement in research.