BMJ  2007;334:966 (12 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39210.438981.BE

Editorials

Bringing public health information together

A new online service should benefit public health practitioners and GPs involved in commissioning

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

On 1 July 2007 smoking will be banned from most enclosed public places and workplaces in England, with fines for people who break the law.¹ The government of the United Kingdom estimates that this will result in a fall of 1.7 percentage points in the prevalence of smoking in England and an estimated annual saving of £100m (147m; $200m) to the National Health Service.²

National legislation inevitably puts pressure on local health services to deliver its promises. Yet timely and reliable information to help implement and monitor public health policies like smoking cessation is not always easy to find. Public health information exists in many forms in disparate locations. The UK government recognises the lack of a comprehensive collection of information for public health, and attempts are being made to rectify this.³

Data, evidence, and narrative information form the three main types of public health information. Data—which is quantitative—usually . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ BMJ Publishing Group, London WC1H 9JR, ² Norfolk Primary Care Trust and University of East Anglia, Norwich NR7 0HT

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Relevant Article

Information and intelligence for healthy populations

Rosalind Raine, Sylvia Godden, and Martin McKee
BMJ 2006 332: 1226-1227. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]