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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jerry A. Miller, MS, PhD¹, Chiehwen Ed Hsu, PhD, MPH², Francisco Soto Mas, MD, PhD, MPH³, Ann Marie Harris, MPH⁴, Ella T. Nkhoma, MPH⁵, Terrence Gratton, DrPH⁴, and Sejong Bae, PhD⁶. (1) National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-86, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-290-6698, jmiller7@cdc.gov, (2) Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, 2387 HHP Building, Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742, (3) Health & Literacy Program, University of Texas at El Paso, College of Education, El Paso, TX 79968-0574, (4) Department of Enviromental and Ocupational Health, University of North Texas, Health Science Center, School of Public Health, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107, (5) Dept. of Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2106 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, (6) Biostatistics, UNT Health Science Center School of Public Health, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd - CBH 338, Forth Worth, TX 76107

Bioterrorism informatics and health surveillance data management have emerged as a major public health training agenda, and risk communication has presented a unique challenge to those rural communities with a less developed public health infrastructure. To ensure that public health workers in non-urban counties are adequately prepared in risk communication in the event of a bioterrorism attack, three EpiInfo/EpiMap workshops, supported by the Texas Department of Health Regions 2/3, entitled “Biodefense Informatics and Health Surveillance Database Management” were conducted in two north Texas training facilities. Forty regional or local health department staff and health workers attended the workshops. Each workshop included three modules: lectures, tabletop exercises, and EpiInfo/EpiMap hands-on training. An emergency scenario using Arlington, Texas as a simulated site was presented. Public health preparedness competencies developed by several professional organizations were employed to develop and evaluate the training modules. A Web-based training module was produced to support training activities, and a training manual and CD-ROM were distributed to all trainees. The results of the pre- and post-tests suggested high satisfaction, and enhanced knowledge and skills in the training materials. Ninety seven percent of the participants found the workshops relevant and useful. Self-assessed knowledge increased in all evaluated areas upon completion of the training. Many participants evaluated that they found the courses to be practical, useful, and applicable to their respective occupations. The results support the need for biodefense informatics training of non-urban public health practitioners, and provide direction for developing training programs in biodefense informatics using EpiInfo Product.

Learning Objectives:

• Compare public health informatics competencies with preparedness and response competencies in a mostly rural public health workforce.
• Familiarize public health workers with core concepts and key terms for epidemiological investigation and to aid in appropriate risk communication.
• Describe how to deliver public health preparedness training commensurate with the needs of the audience and public health threats.

Keywords: Risk Communication, Epidemiology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered