Samoff Erika, Fangman Mary T, Hakenewerth Anne, Ising Amy, Waller Anna E
North Carolina Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center (Drs Waller and Samoff, Ms Fangman), NC Institute for Public Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Dr Samoff and Ms Fangman); and Carolina Center for Health Informatics, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina Medical School (Drs Waller and Hakenewerth).
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2014 Jul-Aug;20(4):E25-30. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0b013e3182a505ac.
Syndromic surveillance systems enhance public health practice in both large and small population settings. However, data from these systems are typically monitored by state and federal agencies and less frequently used by small public health agencies, such as local health departments (LHDs). Syndromic surveillance system modifications may facilitate use by LHDs.
To describe syndromic surveillance system modifications and survey LHD staff to assess subsequent changes in system use.
Pre- and postintervention cross-sectional analysis.
North Carolina (NC) LHDs, 2009 and 2012.
LHD nursing and preparedness staff.
Use of syndromic surveillance data by LHDs for outbreak response, seasonal event response, program management, and stakeholder reports.
In NC, syndromic surveillance system modifications made between 2009 and 2012 included implementation of LHD-specific data "dashboards" and increased distribution of LHD-specific surveillance information by the state public health agency. Users of LHD syndromic surveillance system increased from 99 in 2009 to 175 in 2012. Twenty-seven of 28 (96%) and 62 of 72 (86%) respondents completed the 2009 and 2012 surveys, respectively. Among respondents, 23% used syndromic surveillance data for outbreak response in 2009, compared with 25% in 2012. In 2009, 46% of respondents used these data for seasonal event response, compared with 57% in 2012. Syndromic surveillance data were used for program management by 25% of respondents in 2009 (compared with 30% in 2012) and for stakeholder reports by 23% of respondents in 2009 (compared with 33% in 2012).
Syndromic surveillance system changes supported modest increases in LHD use of syndromic surveillance information. Because use of syndromic surveillance information at smaller LHD is rare, these modest increases indicate effective modification of the NC syndromic surveillance system.
症状监测系统可提升大小规模人群环境中的公共卫生实践。然而，这些系统的数据通常由州和联邦机构监控，小型公共卫生机构（如地方卫生部门[LHDs]）使用得较少。症状监测系统的改进可能有助于LHDs使用。
描述症状监测系统的改进情况，并对LHDs工作人员进行调查，以评估系统使用的后续变化。
干预前后的横断面分析。
北卡罗来纳州（NC）的LHDs，2009年和2012年。
LHDs的护理和应急准备工作人员。
LHDs使用症状监测数据进行疫情应对、季节性事件应对、项目管理和向利益相关者汇报情况。
在北卡罗来纳州，2009年至2012年间症状监测系统的改进包括实施特定LHD的数据“仪表板”，以及州公共卫生机构增加特定LHD监测信息的分发。LHD症状监测系统的用户从2009年的99人增加到2012年的175人。28名受访者中有27名（96%）和72名受访者中有62名（86%）分别完成了2009年和2012年的调查。在受访者中，2009年有23%的人使用症状监测数据进行疫情应对，2012年为25%。2009年，46%的受访者使用这些数据进行季节性事件应对，2012年为57%。2009年，25%的受访者将症状监测数据用于项目管理（2012年为30%），2009年有23%的受访者将其用于向利益相关者汇报情况（2012年为33%）。
症状监测系统的改变使LHDs对症状监测信息的使用略有增加。由于小型LHDs很少使用症状监测信息，这些适度的增加表明北卡罗来纳州症状监测系统的改进是有效的。
