Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107501

David Dausey, MPhil, PhD¹, Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH¹, and Alexis Diamond, MA². (1) Health, RAND Corporation, 1020 Riverview Drive, Finelyville, PA 15332, (412) 683-2300 x4408, dausey@rand.org, (2) Biostatistics, Harvard University School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-6028

Objectives. To examine the ability of health departments (HDs) to receive and respond to case reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Methods. We placed a total of 150 calls to 19 metropolitan area HDs (mean 6.5 calls per HD) over the course of 10 months. We purchased disposable cell phones and programmed them to correspond to the local area code of the health department being tested. During the calls we purported to be a healthcare worker reporting a 'concerning case.' We assessed how often we could locate a single health department number, and whether we were transferred directly to the appropriate 'action officer' or were required to leave a call-back number. We also timed how long it took to reach the action officer. Results. Response times for calls that were returned ranged from less than one minute to 2470 minutes (mean 50); 47% of HDs returned all calls within 30 minutes. The longest average response times were observed at the end of the workday, during the evening, and on the weekend (means in minutes were 88, 57, and 92, respectively). Across the 19 HDs there were no standardized procedures for triaging and handling calls, and the respondents varied widely in expertise. Conclusions. Despite the emphasis on public health preparedness, there is substantial variability in the ability of HDs to receive and respond to urgent case reports. Improving preparedness must involve improved access to front line contact with HDs.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the function of public health disease reporting systems
• Articulate procedures for evaluating public health disease reportign systems
• List CDC benchmarks for evaluating public health disease reporting systems

Keywords: Public Health Research, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation