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Lumia Margaret

This study uses data from the New Jersey syndromic surveillance system (EpiCenter) as a data source to enhance surveillance of current non-fatal occupational injuries, illnesses, and poisonings. EpiCenter was originally developed for early detection and monitoring of the health of communities using chief complaints from people seeking acute care in hospital emergency rooms to identify health trends. Currently, syndromic surveillance has not been widely applied to identify occupational injuries and illnesses. Incorporating syndromic surveillance data from EpiCenter, along with hospital discharge data, will enhance the classification and capture of work-related non-fatal injuries with possible improved efforts at prevention.

Objective: To evaluate the use of a real-time surveillance tool to track a variety of occupationally-related emergency room visits through the state based syndromic surveillance system, EpiCenter.

Submitted by elamb on

In general, data from public health surveillance can be used for short- and long-term planning and response through retrospective data analysis of trends over time or specific events. Combining health outcome data (e.g., hospitalizations or deaths) with environmental and socio-demographic information also provides a more complete picture of most vulnerable populations. Using syndromic surveillance systems for climate and health surveillance offers the unique opportunity to help quantify and track in near-real time the burden of disease from climate and weather impacts.

Submitted by uysz on

Syndromic surveillance has been used by state agencies to collect real-time information on disease outbreaks but has not been used to collect data in the occupational setting. Therefore, OHS staff has begun evaluating a real-time surveillance tool to track a variety of occupationally-related emergency room visits throughout the state via EpiCenter, the NJDOH’s existing real-time surveillance system. This proposal applies established epidemiologic techniques to a different set of circumstances than they have been applied to in the past. Incorporating Syndromic Surveillance data with hospital discharge data will enhance the ability to classify and capture work-related nonfatal injuries and improve efforts of prevention. By employing a realtime, independent data source such as EpiCenter, the classification of work-related injuries and illnesses could be greatly enhanced, leading to a better understanding of the burden of non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses, and allowing for quicker intervention.

Objective

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), Occupational Health Surveillance (OHS) Unit staff proposes to evaluate a realtime surveillance tool to track a variety of occupationally-related emergency room visits throughout the state via EpiCenter, the NJDOH’s existing real-time surveillance system.

Submitted by rmathes on
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