25,000 Words and More:

Applying the President’s Digital Government Strategy to Extend the Digital Reach of HIV-Related Drug Information

Plain Talk ConferenceMarch 13, 2015

Presenters

Gale Dutcher, MS, MLS (HHS, NIH, NLM, SIS)

Florencia Nochetto, MPH, PMP (ICF International)

Christopher McCary, PMP, SCM (ICF International)

Special thanks to Diane Ben-Senia, MPH (ICF International) for assistance with abstract and slide development

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Agenda

1. The HIV Challenge

2. Background on the AIDSinfo program

3. What is the President’s Digital Government Strategy? Why is it important?

4. How AIDSinfo implemented the Strategy

5. AIDSinfo lessons learned, tips, and pointers

6. Interactive exercises to demonstrate application of the Strategy

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The HIV Challenge

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The HIV Challenge

• Approximately 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV.

• Daily medications can suppress, but not cure HIV.

• More than 100 FDA-approved drugs are available to prevent and treat HIV and related infections.

• Drug information is updated frequently, new drugs are approved regularly, and clinical trials of promising drugs are ongoing.

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The HIV Challenge

• Resources (staffing and funds) to maintain drug information are limited.

• Users depend on access to HIV drug information “anywhere, anytime, and on any device.”

• How does AIDSinfo meet users’ increasing expectations while remaining on budget?

The President’s Digital Government Strategy!

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Overview of the AIDSinfoProgram

AIDSinfoMission

• Federal HIV information service for health professionals and English and Spanish-speaking consumers

• HIV-related offerings include medical practice guidelines, clinical trials, and drug information

• The AIDSinfo challenge: To use finite resources wisely to expand digital delivery of HIV-related information

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HIV Treatment

Information

Web Site

Mobile Apps

Call Center

Social Media

Videos

Printed Materials

Trainings/ Outreach

Conference and

Exhibits

New Technology

AIDSinfo Drug Database

• Information on more than 150 FDA-approved and investigational drugs

• Technical summaries (English only): For FDA-approved drugs and drugs being studied in clinical trials

• Consumer summaries (English and Spanish): Plain language companion summaries

• Important: Resource provides access to investigational drug information (fills gap in information dissemination)

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Digital Delivery of HIV Drug Information

• Goal: Cost-effectively and efficiently deliver accurate and up-to-date drug information

• The Dissemination Road Map: The President’s Digital Government Strategy

• Four Strategy Principles:

I. Information-Centric Approach

II. Shared Platform Approach

III. Customer-Centric Approach

IV. A Platform of Security and Privacy

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The President’s Digital Government Strategy

Why is it important?

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Strategy I: Information-Centric Approach

• Centrally store content in database and push it out via multiple channels

• Publically share content (using APIs) so others can use the information

• Design with interoperability and openness

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Create with Everyone in Mind!

• Think “Push Content Out”

Strategy I: Information-Centric Approach

• All drug data is stored in database

• AIDSinfo APIs push content to websites and mobile app

• AIDSinfo APIs available to organizations to integrate AIDSinfo drug content on their websites

• Strategy works best when many organizations are willing to share their content openly and freely

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AIDSinfo Example

Strategy II: Shared Platform Approach

• Collaborate to reduce costs and avoid duplication

• Pull content from already existing sources (e.g., APIs, file transfers, e-mail dumps)

• Invest savings to fulfill unmet needs

• Share lessons learned to benefit everyone

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Partner, Don’t Reinvent!

• Think “Pull Content In”

Strategy II: Shared Platform Approach

• Pull content from HHS sources to populate the drug database:

DailyMed: FDA labels

ChemIDplus: Chemical images/structures

NIAID: Basic investigational data points

• Fill government information gap by developing HIV investigational drug summaries

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AIDSinfo Example

• Automating drug database led to impressive savings

101 FDA-approved drugs

30 hours/summary for annual maintenance

$100/hour for labor costs

$404,000 in annual savings

• Savings were reinvested to develop more investigational drug summaries and produce a mobile drug app.

Strategy III: Customer-Centric Approach

• Focus on user needs

• Make information accessible and easy to use

• Design for mobile use

• Give users control of their information

• Get user feedback to improve information delivery

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Let the User Drive!

Strategy III: Customer-Centric Approach

• Develop customizable drug app:

Bookmarks

Pill reminders

Notes

• Assemble a diverse team: Include SMEs who understand audience needs & experts in mobile dissemination

• Collect feedback: ACSI survey, user testing of app

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AIDSinfo Example

Strategy IV: A Platform of Security and Privacy

• Build in security, privacy, and data protection throughout the entire product development life cycle

• Consider the “do once, use many times” principle when developing security processes and practices

• Continually evaluate and improve your security safeguards

• Keep abreast of new solutions in data security

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Safeguard your Information Highway!

Strategy IV: Platform of Security and Privacy

• Adhere to PMO/IT standards:

Use SSL (secure socket layer) protocol to authenticate the drug API

Conduct server and code vulnerability scans regularly before deploying fixes to the drug database or app

Prioritize updates (patches) to AIDSinfo servers and drug database based on the severity of bugs

Backup the drug database daily

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AIDSinfo Example

AIDSinfo Lessons Learned, Tips, and

Pointers

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Lessons Learned, Tips, and Pointers

1. Understand the quality and structure of data coming

through partner APIs

2. Plan to store/save partner content as a backup

3. Evaluate frequency of content updates and architect

system appropriately

4. Involve your IT team at the onset of content

development

5. Allocate sufficient resources for testing (manual testing)

6. Invest in automated testing tools and error tracking

systems (e.g., Bugsnag, Crashlytics, Crittercism)

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Interactive Exercises

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Interactive Exercise #1

• Download the AIDSinfo drug app by searching for “AIDSinfo drugs.”

• Review the app’s features and content.

• How does the app apply the principles of the Digital Government Strategy?

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AIDSinfo Drug App Demo

Interactive Exercise #2

• Go to MedlinePlus.gov and search for “Aspirin.”

• Click on the first search result. How does the entry demonstrate that MedlinePlus is implementing the Digital Government Strategy?

• Are there other examples of how MedlinePlus implements the Digital Government Strategy?

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MedlinePlus

Interactive Exercise #3

• Divide into groups to discuss how you could use the Digital Government Strategy as a guide to update or change your own information resources.

1. What changes could you make to your information delivery processes?

2. What organization could you partner with?

3. What existing content could you “pull”?

4. How could you customize your information resource?

5. Who would you involve in your planning discussions?

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Group Discussion

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Questions?

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Thank You!