Syndromic surveillance data have been widely shown to be useful to large health departments. Use at smaller local health departments (LHDs) has rarely been described, and the effectiveness of various methods of delivering syndromic surveillance data and information to smaller health departments is unknown. Syndromic surveillance data and information in North Carolina are available to all local public health staff by several routes. This report characterizes LHD access to syndromic surveillance data and information and their use for key public health purposes.
Objective
To characterize use of syndromic surveillance information for key public health functions at the local health department level, and to make recommendations to facilitate use of syndromic surveillance data for these functions.