With the goal of helping organizations use population health driver diagrams to address community health challenges, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) has launched the Developing a Population Health Driver Diagram tool that provides steps for organizations to construct their own driver diagrams. A population health driver diagram can be used collaboratively by public health, health care, and other partners to identify the potential primary and secondary drivers that can help to achieve an identified community health objective called an AIM. Using a Tree Diagram(i) as a structure to guide discussion for constructing a driver diagram, PHF’s new Developing a Population Health Driver Diagram tool can help communities build a driver diagram that includes a health improvement AIM statement, goals of the AIM statement, and primary and secondary drivers for achieving the specified community health goals. Once developed, the population health driver diagram can serve as a framework for discussions within the community to align and develop strategies and actions that can be taken for achieving a healthier community.

Over the past two years, PHF has used the population health driver diagram framework to foster collaborative efforts between public health and health care organizations.  In 2012, PHF developed and piloted the Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship Driver Diagram, which outlines primary and secondary drivers of optimal antibiotic use and has been used by three pilot sites. In 2014, PHF developed a second driver diagram, the Population Health Driver Diagram to Increase Use of Oral Health Care, which is beginning to be used by communities in their discussions about oral health. PHF is currently seeking sponsors to help pilot and further refine these driver diagrams for use in communities throughout the United States.

PHF is committed to further expanding the use of population health driver diagrams to address community health challenges. Currently, PHF is developing a driver diagram to address vector control which will be piloted with the 15 participating health departments of the Vector Control Program Performance Assessment and Improvement Initiative. Organizations or individuals who are interested in the potential development of a driver diagram to address other population health challenges are encouraged to contact PHF about how this framework can be used.