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

Abstract #113193

Alma M. Moore¹, Christa-Marie Singleton, MD MPH¹, and Peter L. Beilenson, MD, MPH². (1) Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Baltimore City Health Department, 210 Guilford Avenue, 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 443-984-2624, alma.moore@baltimorecity.gov, (2) Baltimore City Department of Health, 210 Guilford Ave., 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202

Mass public health response clinic activities, whether based for vaccination, medication, or other health-based dispensing efforts, eventually require the tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of patient and medication assets utilized during the event. Local and State public health entities are asked by federal funders to collect this type of data but at present, computer assisted models are still largely in development, and in development by private sector creators without the hands-on data point experiences of the local public health agency that will have to eventually perform this function. This particular project, created by Baltimore City Health Department public health staff, is a method to rapidly collect a minimal amount of essential patient data during an emergency, to expedite the patient care process, and to link patient data to the intervention being implemented by the public health community. It has been utilized in the Baltimore City public health and emergency medical community during participation in full-scale regional bioterrorism and mass casualty exercises, and has been expanded to include an asset tracking system to evaluate this local community's Emergency Medical Services daily utilization of medical materiel. This project is applicable to other public health agencies as it is a model for a jurisdiction to collect public health based data for the enhancement of patient care and public health interventions, a model for real-time evaluation of mass emergency response efforts, a model for cross-agency collaboration, and an opportunity for enhancement of public health's leadership role in the community.

Learning Objectives:

• 1) Participants will be able to identify elements to enhance electronic data collection and data evaluation during a public health emergency
• 2) Participants will be able to recognize partnership opportunities for the creation of public health-based patient tracking models unique to their respective jurisdictions

Keywords: Information Databases, Computer-Assisted

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