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

Abstract #109351

Donna Garland Robbins, DrPH, MPH, Northeast Tennessee Regional Public Health Office, Tennessee Department of Health, 1233 Southwest Avenue Ext., Johnson City, TN 37604-6519, 423-979-4655, Donna.G.Robbins@state.tn.us

Introduction: Two years after initiating its first syndromic surveillance program, the Northeast Tennessee public health region faces evaluation development challenges similar to those encountered during planning and implementation, namely adapting quantitative methods developed by and for large, well-established programs to a rural, and relatively new program.

Objectives and Methods: Recent predominantly qualitative program evaluation includes:

1) Peer and community assessment of data source availability and adequacy, data collection and analysis reliability, and surveillance utilization achieved by reporting to and from local health department, hospital and other data source providers; 2) Comparing syndromic data with outbreak and weekly communicable disease reports; and 3) Assessment of geographic/population surveillance coverage.

Additional evaluation methods and external data sources recommended in the literature and by other projects are being examined to provide more quantitative and "evidence-based" evaluation and include:

1) Correlation of ICD-9 coded data with "chief-complaint" data, 2) Correlation of regional data with that of contiguous (< 50 miles) regions and states, 3) CDC's BioSense system and CDC's guidelines for syndrome standardization, and 4) Regional mortality (autopsy) data from Tennessee Department of Health.

Results and Conclusions: Data from external sources are still forthcoming (autopsy), or yet limited for rural areas (BioSense). Moreover, we still face small sample statistical issues, even with increased historical databases and continued data source acquisition, further indicating that quantitative evaluation will continue to be a challenge. However, syndrome standardization has assisted cross-region reporting; and syndromic surveillance continues to strengthen relationships with data source agencies, therefore improving the quality of reporting.

Learning Objectives: After attending this session the participant will be able to

• Describe the syndromic surveillance program structure in a rural Northeast Tennessee public health region.
• Describe present and proposed quantative and qualitative evaluation methods for syndromic surveillance in Northeast Tennessee.
• Discuss the outcomes and challenges encountered with new and existing syndromic surveillance evaluation methods in this public health region.

Keywords: Surveillance, Evaluation

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.