Recorded presentation

Donna Garland Robbins, DrPH, MPH, Northeast Tennessee Regional Public Health Office, Tennessee Department of Health, 1233 Southwest Avenue Ext., Johnson City, TN 37604-6519, 423-979-4655, Donna.G.Robbins@state.tn.us and Mark McCalman, MPH, Sullivan County Regional Health Department, Tennessee Department of Health, 154 Blountville Bypass, Blountville, TN 37615.

Introduction: A component of the Tennessee Department of Health Bioterrorism Response Plan was for each of the state’s public health regions to develop syndromic surveillance, a non-traditional system of disease monitoring that uses predominantly pre-diagnosis data, with at least one data source.

Objectives: After meeting the state objective of having one system by February 1, 2003, two rural Northeast Tennessee regions expanded their goals to initiate syndromic surveillance with additional data sources, including other area hospitals, 911 call centers, and school systems (absenteeism).

Methods: Regional epidemiologists met with administrative, information systems, and legal personnel from nine hospital emergency departments, two 911 call centers and two school systems. Memoranda of Understanding, computer-use agreements and transmission protocol were developed to authorize and permit confidential reporting of data. Biological- and chemical-related ‘syndromes’ to be collected from the sources included: acute respiratory infections, gastrointestinal distress, signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction, rash, fever and cough.

Results: Currently there is complete electronic daily automated data transmission from seven, and test transmission from two, hospital emergency departments. PC-SAS software and the Early Aberration Reporting System (EARS) are used to analyze the data and prepare reports. There is also complete or partial electronic transmission from the two 911 call centers and two school systems.

Conclusions: Despite challenges such as the administrative agreements, HIPAA concerns, and acquisition of the 911 call data, syndromic surveillance has strengthened public health-community agency relationships and bioterrorism-related disease surveillance. The data may also be useful for assisting with other traditional disease outbreak investigations.

Learning Objectives: After viewing this poster session, the conference attendee will be able to

• Describe the state-specific and region-specific objectives for the Tennessee Department of Health's Syndromic Surveillance System.
• List the data sources and disease syndromes utilized for syndromic surveillance in the two northeast Tennessee public health regions
• Describe the methods by which the northeast Tennessee regional epidemiologists planned and executed syndromic surveillance with various data sources.
• Describe the database management and statistical analysis system used for syndromic surveillance in the two public health regions.
• Describe quantitatively and qualitatively the outcomes of syndromic surveillance in northeast Tennessee after the first year of implementation.

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation