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Emergency Department data for bioterrorism surveillance: electronic data availability, timeliness, sources and
Debbie A Travers1, Anna Waller, Stephanie W Haas
1School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
AMIA ... Annual Symposium Proceedings. AMIA Symposium
|January 20, 2004
Summary
Emergency Department (ED) chief complaint data availability varies significantly, impacting bioterrorism surveillance. Electronic chief complaint data is more prevalent in Seattle EDs compared to North Carolina EDs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Informatics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Emergency Department (ED) data are crucial for bioterrorism surveillance systems.
- Limited research exists on variations in ED data capture and entry across healthcare settings.
- Understanding data quality is essential for effective public health surveillance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current status of ED data for bioterrorism surveillance.
- To compare ED data availability and quality in two distinct US regions.
Main Methods:
- Survey of Emergency Departments in North Carolina and the Seattle area.
- Evaluation of electronic availability and coding practices for chief complaint and diagnosis data.
Main Results:
- Electronic chief complaint (CC) data is available in 54% of North Carolina EDs versus 100% in Seattle EDs.
- Over half of surveyed EDs record CCs as free-text data.
- Less than 50% of EDs electronically code diagnoses within 24 hours of patient visit.
Conclusions:
- Significant regional disparities exist in ED chief complaint data availability.
- Free-text format for chief complaints and delayed diagnosis coding present challenges for bioterrorism surveillance.
- Standardization of ED data collection is needed to enhance public health surveillance capabilities.