| Notifiable conditions reporting is an essential component of public health surveillance. Through this process local public health jurisdictions (LHJ) collect information about health events of interest and share this information with state-level public health departments, who then share it with federal public health agencies. Many LHJs make use of electronic information systems to manage, process, and analyze the notifiable conditions data within their jurisdictions. In the midst of state and national-level efforts to standardize notifiable conditions reporting processes, there has been a nation-wide push for LHJs to adopt new notifiable conditions information systems that are capable of online reporting. These systems offer the benefit of faster reporting to state public health departments, and compliance with new standardization efforts. These systems, typically developed by a private vendor or state-level public health department, may not be designed to accommodate the specific work practices that are unique to each local public health jurisdiction. Therefore, the implementation of a new information system in an LHJ may disrupt, or even impede, the work that is required to properly address the health issues that are unique to the region. These impediments include decreased information processing capabilities, decreased analytical capabilities, and additional administrative burdens. This could have serious effects on local public health practice, and thus on the health and welfare of local communities. The research proposed in this document aims to improve the development and evaluation of notifiable conditions information systems that support the work of local public health jurisdictions. |
