Modification of essential public services, whether intended or unintended, can have important consequences for all aspects of societal life. For example,
- Closing down a school may interrupt transmission of an infectious disease;
- An extreme climate event may force temporary closure of health facilities in a region, altering healthcare seeking in the short- and long-term;
- Closure of commuting routes through strikes can have direct and indirect economic consequences.
Assessing the impact of service changes and disruptions requires multiple data sources, such as disease incidence, precipitation levels, or details of health facilities. Central to this analysis is having a detailed record of the service changes themselves. For example, assessing the effectiveness of school closures requires data on the specific schools affected, their locations, and the duration of closures. Conversely, evaluating the educational impact of these closures demands accurate records of when and where they occurred. Public health analyses of unplanned health facility closure also rely on knowing which facilities were affected and for how long.
Data on public services modifications is thus critical for vital research that can inform decision-making. While several important data streams are now being collected and shared more effectively, data on service changes remains underdeveloped. Some individual projects have gathered this information to answer specific research questions, but these are isolated attempts. A consistent and systematic approach to collect this crucial data is still missing. Effectively addressing this data gap requires the engagement of researchers with diverse yet complementary expertise, including technical skills, software engineering, modelling, and data collection.
We are organising a two-day workshop to bring together researchers with interest and/or experience in this question. Our aim is to kickstart a conversation on this important topic and to identify opportunities for collaboration. The workshop will be a free-ranging brainstorming discussion interspersed with talks from researchers who have engaged with different aspects of this theme. Some questions that might guide discussion are:
- What kind of data on service alterations would be useful to have?
- What research questions could be answered if such data were easily available?
- What models of data collection might be useful for retrospective and prospective data collection?
- Are there any innovative data collection solutions that might be useful?
- What models of data sharing and ownership might be relevant?
- How can data quality and integrity be assured?
Format: This will be a two-day hybrid event; in-person attendance is highly encouraged. We can offer limited support for travel and/or accommodation, so if you need this, please get in touch.
Where: School of Public Health, Imperial College London, White City.
When: 12th and 13th June