Using the Data

Review the data to see if the results make sense. We recommend that the Manager review the data results first, and then share it with staff and, if appropriate, with key health care providers in your community with whom you have a relationship.  We have developed a Tip Sheet of things to keep in mind when reviewing the reports. In addition, you may want to consider the following: 

• Do the results make sense to you? Is there anything that just doesn’t make sense?
• To what extent do the results confirm what you see and experience in your community? How do they surprise you?
• As you look at the results, what issues jump out at you?
• What else would you like to know? 

To better understand your data and answer the questions listed above, the next step is to put the results into context. Consider how the results for your community compare with available aggregate public data. Because the survey tool draws questions from national surveys, in many cases there are direct comparisons to national results. This type of information may also be available at the state, county, or city level. Learn what is available for your area and decide what data source you want to use for comparison; the Comparative Data Finding Guide can help you identify comparable public data. Additionally, we have created a Sharing Your Results Form that allows you to include comparison data to establish context.

You may also want to see how you compare to national standards. For example, the number of seniors who have received a flu shot in your community may be higher than the national average, but it may still be below the national standard. It is important to try to keep all these things in mind as you review your results. The Comparative Data Finding Guide can also help you find national standards.

Keep in mind that comparative data may not always provide the whole story for your community; you may need to look further.  For example, your community may have a 50% colonoscopy rate, which is lower than the national average of 60%. But the majority of seniors you surveyed were older than 75 (which is the recommended cutoff age for screening).  To make an accurate comparison, you will need to look at how many seniors are under the age of 75 who have not had a colonoscopy.    The Respondent Report will help you further analyze your results to extract this type of information. By comparing the results on the colonoscopy question and the age question, you will be able to see how many of the seniors who answered “no” to having a colonoscopy were also under the age of 75.  Read more about further analyzing your data.

Once you have reviewed the data and have analyzed and extracted highlights, it is important to engage a broader audience—the seniors you serve, your partners, and your community stakeholders—to begin to plan a strategy for moving forward. Think carefully about who you would like to have around the table when discussing your findings. You may want to include all the community stakeholders or some subset.  Odds are the selection will differ community to community.

We recommend that you use the Sharing Your Results Form as a foundation for this discussion with the community. The Manager may want to present the Form and highlight some key data points to the group to start and help focus the discussion. This can be done in different ways, depending on the message you are trying to send. Consider what will resonate best with your audience. For example, saying that 6 out of 10 seniors have received a recommended health screening gives a very different message from saying that 40% of seniors have not had the screening, though both reflect the same data. 

After presenting your findings, listen carefully to what issues bubble up to the surface and which stand out for the different groups of participants. Ideally, at the end of the discussion, you will have reached a consensus on two or three focus areas that the community wants to explore further, as well as a plan for moving forward in converting this information into action.