Introduction to Public Health Surveillance (FOCUS, Volume 5.5)
Fee: none
Length: 40 minutes
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This issue of FOCUS describes the process and reasoning behind the surveillance methods and interpretation used to inform public health practice.
Target Audience
These trainings are applicable to all public health, medical, veterinary, pharmacy, emergency management, hospital, and other professionals interested in public health preparedness and field epidemiology. The periodicals and supplemental material are created by doctoral students and graduates of the UNC-CH Department of Epidemiology and reviewed by UNC-CH School of Public Health faculty and topic experts.
Educational Objectives
- Define surveillance and explain surveillance systems.
- Describe basic surveillance techniques by person, place, and time.
- Touch on the importance of standardization when comparing surveillance data.
- Provide an overview of how to present surveillance data.
Competencies and Capability Functions Addressed
This training addresses selected applied epidemiology, core public health, and public health preparedness and response competencies and public health preparedness capability functions as noted below. (Please note: The following training does not provide comprehensive or in-depth treatment of specified competencies or capability functions, it provides basic knowledge of the competencies or capability functions listed below.)
| Applied Epidemiology Competencies Tier 1 |
| Collect surveillance and other data for use in tracking program objectives and outcomes (I.I.3) |
| Supply information from health status assessments to aid in the design, interpretation, and conduct of epidemiologic studies (IV.A.1) |
| Applied Epidemiology Competencies Tier 2 |
| Identify surveillance and other data for use in tracking program objectives and outcomes (I.I.3) |
| Use information from the community and from health status assessments to aid in the design, interpretation, and conduct of epidemiologic studies (IV.A.1) |
| Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals |
| 1) Assesses the health status of populations and their related determinants of health and illness (e.g. factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention, availability and use of health services) (1: Analytic/Assessment Skills) |
| 4) Uses methods and instruments for collecting valid and reliable quantitative and qualitative data (1: Analytic/Assessment Skills) |
| Public Health Preparedness Capabilities |
| Capability 13, Function 1: Conduct public health surveillance and detection |
| Public Health Preparedness & Response Core Competencies |
| 2.4. Collect data according to protocol. |
References
Thacker SB, Berkelman RL. Public health surveillance in the United States. Epidemiol Rev. 1988;10:164-190.
Thomas TN, Reef S, Neff L, Sniadack MM, Mootrey GT. A review of the smallpox vaccine adverse events active surveillance system. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46 Suppl 3:S212-S220.
Janes GR, Hutwanger L, Cates Jr W, Stroup DF, Williamson GD. Descriptive Epidemiology: Analyzing and Interpreting Surveillance Data. In: Teutsch SM, Churchill RE, eds. Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, inc, 2000:112-167.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Active Bacterial Core Surveillance Report (ABCs), Emerging Infections Program Network, Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/abcs/survreports/spneu06.pdf. Published 2007. Accessed August 21, 2008.
Last JM, ed. A Dictionary of Epidemiology. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc, 1995.
Eng SB, Werker DH, King AS, et al. Computer-generated dot maps as an epidemiologic tool: Investigating an outbreak of toxoplasmosis. Emerg Infect Dis. 1999;5(6):815-819.
Authors:
Michelle Torok, MPH
The author(s) and reviewer(s) of this training have no personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation to disclose.
Continuing Education Credit:
The UNC Center for Public Health Preparedness offers the following continuing education credit/s on this training. Eligibility for all continuing education credit is determined on an annual basis.
- none
To complete this training:
- Read over all the training information on this page, including the Educational Objectives and References.
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- Complete the training pre-test.
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- Complete the training post-test.
- Complete the training evaluation form.
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Disclaimer/Disclosure
To Access and Complete This Training:
To register for a login and password, click on the Registration Form link. If you have already registered, click on our Already Registered link. If you are returning to this training, please click the Resume Training link. Please read over the information on this page first.