College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2012 Mar-Apr;18(2):169-74. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0b013e31821c08ee.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of selected characteristics of local health departments (LHDs) in Kentucky with the receipt of information by external stakeholders, specifically physicians and pharmacists, during the initial H1N1 outbreak of 2009.
This study utilized a cross-sectional survey to gather characteristic information from local health departments. In addition, cross sectional surveys of physicians and pharmacists were used to determine information receipt. All 54 LHDs in Kentucky were surveyed; however, only those physicians belonging to the Kentucky Family Physician Association or the Kentucky Ambulatory Network were surveyed. Also, pharmacists included in this survey were members of the Kentucky Pharmacist Association. Descriptive data analyses, including chi-square test of independence, were conducted, and generalized estimating equations were used to calculate odds ratios to depict associations related to information exchange in this study.
Response rates for the study were as follows: LHDs 65% (35/54), physicians 18.5% (96/518), and pharmacists 21.1% (211/1000). Of the 35 participating LHDs the most common characteristic identified was the presence of a public information officer (PIO) and a pandemic influenza plan, 76% and 64%, respectively. Despite these factors, 72% of external stakeholders did not receive any information regarding H1N1 from the LHD. Generalized estimating equations also indicated that stakeholders in jurisdictions lacking a PIO had 6 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-26.95) greater odds of not receiving information from the LHD. External stakeholders in jurisdictions without a pandemic influenza plan had 3.38 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.17) increased odds of not receiving information but this association was not statistically significant.
Observations from this study indicate a need to improve information exchange between LHDs and their external stakeholders, specifically physicians and pharmacists. Present results suggest the designation of a PIO may positively influence communication between LHDs and other health care providers, particularly physicians.
本研究旨在调查肯塔基州地方卫生部门（LHD）的某些特征与外部利益相关者（特别是医生和药剂师）在 2009 年 H1N1 疫情初期获得信息之间的关联。
本研究利用横断面调查从地方卫生部门收集特征信息。此外，还对医生和药剂师进行了横断面调查，以确定信息的获取情况。肯塔基州的所有 54 个 LHD 都接受了调查；然而，只有属于肯塔基州家庭医生协会或肯塔基州门诊网络的医生才接受了调查。此外，参与此项调查的药剂师均为肯塔基州药剂师协会的成员。进行了描述性数据分析，包括独立性卡方检验，并使用广义估计方程计算了比值比，以描述与本研究中信息交换相关的关联。
研究的回复率如下：LHD 为 65%（35/54），医生为 18.5%（96/518），药剂师为 21.1%（211/1000）。在参与的 35 个 LHD 中，最常见的特征是存在公共信息官员（PIO）和大流行性流感计划，分别为 76%和 64%。尽管存在这些因素，但仍有 72%的外部利益相关者未从 LHD 获得任何有关 H1N1 的信息。广义估计方程还表明，在没有 PIO 的司法管辖区的利益相关者从 LHD 获得信息的可能性低 6 倍（95%置信区间，1.3-26.95）。没有大流行性流感计划的司法管辖区的外部利益相关者没有获得信息的可能性增加了 3.38 倍（95%置信区间，0.80-1.17），但这种关联没有统计学意义。
本研究的观察结果表明，需要改善 LHD 与其外部利益相关者（特别是医生和药剂师）之间的信息交流。目前的结果表明，指定 PIO 可能会对 LHD 与其他医疗保健提供者（特别是医生）之间的沟通产生积极影响。
