What to Do (and Not Do) When Using Heat Maps and Other Graphics to Show Disease Case Counts (On Demand-No CE)

PLEASE NOTE: No CE. A certificate of completion is available in this free course.

This training, led by an expert in health data communication, will discuss the challenges of communicating disease case counts to public audiences. It will show what heat maps are, discuss some good (and less good) practices for their use, and compare the strengths of heat maps versus other graphical representations to achieve different communication goals. 

This training was originally presented on June 5, 2023.

Estimated time for completion: 40 minutes. The recording is 30 + 10 min for reading through course details, completing the quiz, and submitting the evaluation. 

Audience

Public health and healthcare practitioners working in infectious disease and emergency preparedness.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the unique challenges of communicating case count data to the public
• Explain what heat maps are and what they are used for 
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of heat maps 
• Compare and contrast heat maps and other graphical representations

Instructors

Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Bioethics & Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan; Editor-in-Chief, Medical Decision Making, and MDM Policy & Practice

Sponsors

Public Health Prepared is the workforce development and public health practice branch of the broader Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats & Pandemic Preparedness (MCIDT) initiative, funded by the University of Michigan. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Public Health Prepared, MCIDT, or the University of Michigan.

Technical Information

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Contact us at PHPrepared@umich.edu with questions.