Coupling Paperless Data Collection (PDC) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Technology to Collect, Manage and Analyze Data during a Public Health Emergency

Events such as the Pandemic Influenza have demonstrated that data collection systems are critical to managing a Public Health response. In order to collect, analyze and report data to the EOC, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) utilizes a unique strategy that leverages common infrastructure of two competing technologies.

During an emergency, LACDPH will utilize a PDC system that will be available to the public thorough the county website. Clients could complete and submit an online form that collects demographic and medical screening information. The data is securely transmitted to the County database and clients are provided with a record locator. Clients can then go to any County point of dispensing (PODs). Staff at the POD enter the record locator number into a secure browser based application, retrieve client data, complete the clinical portion of the form prior to proving the contraindication and submit the document electronically to the central data repository.

Given that the elderly, the poor and the homeless may not have access to the form electronically, LACDPH coupled PDC with an OCR system. Clients arriving at the POD without electronic record locators can fill out OCR forms that collect demographic, medical screening and clinical information. All forms are scanned using the OCR System that convert hand written text into digitized characters and import data into the same central data repository.

The system generates reports for presentation to decision makers based on demographics and vaccination information to ensure effectiveness of their outreach strategy.