DDP - Public Health Surveillance Lesson

Public Health Surveillance

In order to protect the public's health, health departments must gather specific information about communicable diseases and study behaviors that can lead to chronic diseases. The health department learns this information through public health surveillance. The basis of public health surveillance is to use data to monitor health problems to facilitate their prevention or control. Data, and findings derived from the analysis of surveillance data, can be useful in setting priorities, planning, and conducting disease control programs, and in determining the effectiveness of control efforts. For example, identifying cities, counties or populations with higher rates of disease can be helpful in planning prevention and intervention programs. Surveillance efforts must be well organized and planned. Researchers must decide what health-related events are under surveillance, establish case definitions, determine what information will be collected, determine how often and how long data will be collected, how to analyze the data, and how to disseminate the data.

Data collected for health-related purposes typically come from three sources, individual persons, the environment, and health-care providers and facilities. A limited number of methods are used to collect the majority of health-related data, including environmental monitoring, surveys, notifications, and registries. Several approaches are used to monitor the environment including monitoring: air pollution, water supplies, animal and insect vectors, safety of transportation, and biological or chemical hazards. Monitoring the environment is critical to ensure it is healthy and safe. Surveys are probably the most common method used for gathering information about populations. Although their topics might vary widely, surveys are typically designed to obtain specific information about a population and can be conducted once or on a periodic basis.

A notification is the reporting of certain diseases or other health-related conditions by a specific group, as specified by law, regulation, or agreement. Notifications are typically made to the state or local health agency. Some nationally notifiable diseases include AIDS, Malaria, Measles, and Tuberculosis. The entire list of nationally notifiable diseases can be found by CLICKING HERE Links to an external site.. Health care providers often send reports to a health department on the basis of regulations, this is passive surveillance. Active surveillance occurs when the health department staff contacts the health care providers. Maintaining registries is a method for documenting or tracking events or persons over time. A disease registry tracks a person with disease over time and usually includes diagnostic, treatment, and outcome information.

Public health officials rely on the data collected from individuals, the environment and health-care providers to assess disease activity and risk factors for disease. Numerous data systems exist that public health officials utilize. Examples include: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Health Interview Survey, National Vital Statistics System, AirData, and many more.

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