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Reporting notifiable diseases: methods for improvement, attitudes and community outcome
S L Seneviratne1, S B Gunatilake, H J de Silva
1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Summary
Implementing a dedicated notification nurse and ward register significantly boosted disease notification rates in Sri Lanka. Improved communication between healthcare sectors is crucial for enhancing reporting and public health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Disease notification is vital for public health surveillance but often suffers from under-reporting, particularly in developing countries.
- Effective disease reporting systems are essential for timely intervention and disease control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a specialized notification nurse and a ward notification register on disease notification rates.
- To assess intern medical officers' knowledge and attitudes towards disease notification.
- To examine the community outcomes of disease notification in Sri Lanka.
Main Methods:
- A study was conducted in a general medical unit in Sri Lanka.
- Intervention involved appointing a special notification nurse and introducing a ward notification register.
- Data collected included notification rates, intern medical officers' knowledge/attitudes, and community outcomes.
Main Results:
- The appointment of a special nurse increased notification rates from 9.7% to 62.1%.
- The addition of a ward notification register further improved rates to 95.1%.
- While most intern medical officers knew about notifiable diseases, few consistently reported them, citing a lack of feedback from preventive health authorities.
Conclusions:
- A dedicated notification nurse and a ward notification register can substantially improve disease notification rates.
- Enhancing communication and feedback mechanisms between curative and preventive health sectors can improve healthcare professionals' attitudes towards notification.