The Epi Tool Kit is a virtual resource kit for epidemiologic investigations developed by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Division of Community Epidemiology. The Tool Kit’s technical infrastructure allows secure access for web-based investigations and interviews allowing timely disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, data management, and response to emergency public health events. A direct link to the Emergency Medical Alert Network (EMAN) is provided for bi-directional confidential communication between the County's medical community and public health and safety agencies in order to ensure rapid identification of and response to unusual disease events or public health emergencies. The Epi Tool Kit provides a “mobile office” so that the availability of information is independent of the location of the worker, and would allow the enhancement and expansion of current field information systems to be co-developed with portable laptops and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). In addition to web-based resources shared by public health professionals (i.e. links to recommendations, protocols, articles, maps, and fact sheets), secured accessibility to division forms, questionnaires, presentations, and contacts are also available on site. Periodic evaluations are important in assessing the value of the Epi Tool Kit as to the accessibility of information, ease of use, and the efficiency of investigations as measured by the completeness of the investigations, staff investigation efforts, time to response, and data errors. See www.co.san-diego.ca.us/eman/
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Epidemiology, Internet Tools
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Divsion of Community Epidemiology
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.