Coverage and Timeliness of Combined Military and Veteran Surveillance Systems

Authors

  • Howard S. Burkom Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Yevgeniy Elbert Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Carla Winston Veterans Health Administration
  • Julie Pavlin Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center
  • Cynthia Lucero-Obusan Veterans Health Administration
  • Mark Holodniy Veterans Health Administration

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4489

Abstract

We determined the utility and effective methodology for combining patient record information from the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Defense (DoD). The surveillance systems are complementary with evident benefits when merged. The VA system patient volume roughly doubles the DoD system, and provides better geographic coverage in lower population densities; however, the DoD includes younger populations, better coverage in strategic metro areas, and more pre-diagnostic ILI coding. From analysis of influenza outbreaks, relative timeliness could be improved in 92% of regions with access to both systems, with more information provided in areas where only one type of facility exists.

Author Biography

Julie Pavlin, Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center

Julie Pavlin, MD, PhD, MPH is the Deputy Director of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center and a retired Colonel in the US Army. She played a pivotal role in developing the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (ESSENCE), the Department of Defense real-time surveillance system. Her current research interests include innovative disease surveillance methods and infectious disease epidemiology in developing countries.

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Published

2013-03-23

How to Cite

Burkom, H. S., Elbert, Y., Winston, C., Pavlin, J., Lucero-Obusan, C., & Holodniy, M. (2013). Coverage and Timeliness of Combined Military and Veteran Surveillance Systems. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i1.4489

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Oral Presentations: Influenza Surveillance Methods - Research

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