U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service: The Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives
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OSCAR Frequently Asked Questions

Number of Frequently Asked Questions = 21
 
1.What does OSCAR stand for?
2.What are the definitions for Best Practice, Promising Practices, Local Efforts, Policies, and Resources?
3.How does OSCAR Best (i.e., Evidenced Based) Practices compare to other Evidence Based Practices (e.g., CDC Community Guide) available?
4.Why should I access the OSCAR system?
5.How do I search for information on a specific topic?
6.When looking at the search page, what do the numbers next to the search criteria in parentheses mean? For example, under the search for information by IHS Service Area one might see National (10).
7.On the Search Database page, why do I see a difference in the total number at the top of the page when comparing it to the total of the individual search criteria (e.g., Health Indicator)?
8.Can anyone submit a Policy, Resource, Local Effort, Promising Practice or Evidence Base Practice to OSCAR?
9.When I make an electronic submission what happens?
10.Will I be notified when my content is approved?
11.Can I start a submission and return to complete it later?
12.I checked the My Submission Status link for my submission. How do I know that it is approved?
13.My submission status is Denied. What does that mean?
14.Is the Indian Health Service recommending that I use only content that is contained in OSCAR?
15.How can I become involved with OSCAR?
16.Can I help my target audience by adding a customized search link to my program web page?
17.What is RSS and how do I use it?
18.How do I contact OSCAR staff?
19.After I submit content, what happens?
20.I received an email from the OSCAR system to approve content. What do I do?
21.How to I become a Subject Matter Expert/Consultant (SME/C)?

1. What does OSCAR stand for?
OSCAR stands for Online Submission, Consultation, and Reporting (OSCAR) system. The system was designed to collected and disseminate Best (i.e., Evidence Based) and Promising Practices, Local Efforts, Policies and Resources.    Back to Top
2. What are the definitions for Best Practice, Promising Practices, Local Efforts, Policies, and Resources?
  • Evidence Based Practice -Programs formally evaluated to be effective, sometimes called Best Practices, that can be replicated and implemented, even with modifications in other settings


  • Promising Practices - Programs not formally evaluated (or formal evaluation is not yet complete) but identified by experts as programs with results suggesting efficacy and worthy of further study in broader pilot implementation efforts.


  • Local Efforts - Programs and/or activities that have not been evaluated but are identified by local programs as producing positive results.


  • Resources - Information or materials that might help develop a program/project in a community but can not be defined as a Best Practice, Promising Practice, or Local Effort.


  • Policy - An ordinance, resolution, or law passed by a community that produces positive results.
   Back to Top
3. How does OSCAR Best (i.e., Evidenced Based) Practices compare to other Evidence Based Practices (e.g., CDC Community Guide) available?
OSCAR was developed to be a clearinghouse of practices, policies, and resources among American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) communities and the general population. Not all practices are able to undergo the same level of review and is dependent on the funding to develop the program, evaluate it, and review the evaluation findings.

When a Best Practice is submitted, the program must also submit evaluation materials. OSCAR published content that has already been approved (e.g., CDC Community Guide findings) is the only exception to this. Subject Matter Expert(s) review the evaluation materials and decide whether the content should be considered a Evidenced Based Practice or not. Other content types (e.g., Promising Practices, Local Efforts) are only reviewed for completeness then published in the OSCAR system.    Back to Top
4. Why should I access the OSCAR system?
Communities interested in identifying and sharing content to promote the health among American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) should consider contributing to OSCAR.    Back to Top
5. How do I search for information on a specific topic?
To search for all records in OSCAR by IHS Service Area, Health Indicator (e.g., Excessive Alcohol Consumption), Key word (e.g., Group Process), or Search for a specific word or phrase, click on the search Database link on the left navigation bar or click this link to get started!    Back to Top
6. When looking at the search page, what do the numbers next to the search criteria in parentheses mean? For example, under the search for information by IHS Service Area one might see National (10).
The numbers next to the search criteria indicate the total number of records in OSCAR that meet that criteria. For the IHS service area, this is the total number of submissions. For the Key Word and Health Indicators, this is the total number of occurrences of that particular Key Word or Health Indicator.    Back to Top
7. On the Search Database page, why do I see a difference in the total number at the top of the page when comparing it to the total of the individual search criteria (e.g., Health Indicator)?
An individual submissions for OSCAR can have more than one Key Word or Health Indicator; however, a submission can only have one Service Area. IHS Staff have reviewed submitted content and have categorized the submissions to help with your search. These numbers are only an estimate, as not all OSCAR submissions have been fully categorized.    Back to Top
8. Can anyone submit a Policy, Resource, Local Effort, Promising Practice or Evidence Base Practice to OSCAR?
Yes. Any one can submit content for review by staff for public display.    Back to Top
9. When I make an electronic submission what happens?
When you submit content electronically, you, the primary contact and approver(s) are notified via email. Your email will have a web site link so that you can check the current status of your submission. Once the approver(s) have reviewed and approve your content, it will appear live on the web page.    Back to Top
10. Will I be notified when my content is approved?
Currently, OSCAR does not send automated responses when content is approved. You may check the current status of your submission by clicking the My Submission Status using the Submission ID. A direct link is also provided in your confirmation email. Additionally, OSCAR visitors who sign up to the OSCAR RSS feed (see below) will be notified of new content when they use their RSS feed reader (e.g., Internet Explorer 7).    Back to Top
11. Can I start a submission and return to complete it later?
No. OSCAR does not have the capacity at this time to save incomplete submissions. All required fields will need to be completed in order to submit content.    Back to Top
12. I checked the My Submission Status link for my submission. How do I know that it is approved?
The Status column in the table at the bottom of the My Submission Status page gives indication if the content is approved (e.g., on the public search engine). If the status is Submitted, it will not appear among the search results. However, if it is approved, it will appear on the public search site.    Back to Top
13. My submission status is Denied. What does that mean?
More than one health indicator can be selected when submitting content. One reviewer can approve the content for one health indicator (e.g., Diabetes) and another approver might deny the submission for another (e.g., Physical activity). If you have submitted completely inappropriate content to be displayed in oscar, all health indicators might be denied.    Back to Top
14. Is the Indian Health Service recommending that I use only content that is contained in OSCAR?
No. Communities and programs are responsible to those they serve. OSCAR is intended only as a clearinghouse to provide resources that programs and communities might consider with improving the communities health. There might be other resources available that have not yet been contributed to the OSCAR system.    Back to Top
15. How can I become involved with OSCAR?
There are four main ways that you can become involved with OSCAR. First, you can use the system and provide comments for improvement. Second, submit content for consideration to the OSCAR system (public submission pending OMB approval). Third, you can become a Subject Matter Expert/ Consultant. And lastly, one can tell others interested in the increasing the health of AI/AN communities about OSCAR.    Back to Top
16. Can I help my target audience by adding a customized search link to my program web page?
Yes. On the left navigation bar, click on the link titled Add Custom Search Link to Your Site. Complete your custom search just as you were searching for content yourself. Click on the Create Link button at the bottom of the page. Copy and paste the code provided on the resulting page and follow the instructions to post the link on your page. Click Add Custom Search Link to Your Site link on the left navigation bar or click this link to get started!    Back to Top
17. What is RSS and how do I use it?
RSS has numerous meanings but one common one is Really Simple Syndicate. It is a way to keep up to date with the OSCAR content you are most interested in. As new content is approved in OSCAR, the RSS feed is updated. This way, once you sign up to receive alert through your web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, FireFox) or email system (e.g., Mac iMail) you no longer need to access the OSCAR website to review new content. OSCAR RSS feeds allow one to receive alerts for ALL new content or content for specific health indicators (e.g., physical activity). Click RSS Feeds link on the left navigation bar to get started.    Back to Top
18. How do I contact OSCAR staff?
The best way to contact OSCAR staff is via email at OSCAR@ihs.gov    Back to Top
19. After I submit content, what happens?
After content is submitted, the person who submits the content and the primary contact for the content receive a confirmation email. Based on the type of content that is submitted, the appropriate Subject Matter Expert/Consultant (SME/C) is alerted that new content is available. The SME/C logs into the OSCAR system, reviews the content, and then determines whether or not the content should be approved.    Back to Top
20. I received an email from the OSCAR system to approve content. What do I do?
To review OSCAR content that has been submitted, you need to be a registered Subject Matter Expert/Consultant. If you are not familiar with this process, then you might have been forwarded one of the automated responses from the OSCAR system. You should check with the person that forwarded you the information or contact OSCAR staff at OSCAR@ihs.gov.    Back to Top
21. How to I become a Subject Matter Expert/Consultant (SME/C)?
Contact the OSCAR staff by emailing OSCAR@ihs.gov with your request. OSCAR staff will need to verify your credentials then add you to the system. Once you have been approved to be a SME/C, you will need to register for an IHS web account (link) if you do not already have one. Once your account is active, OSCAR staff can add you as a SME/C for the content that is appropriate to your knowledge and experiences.    Back to Top