Epi-X is an internet-based secure website for the exchange of information regarding developing public health events. Reports are exchanged with state epidemiologists, state health officers, and other key public health officials. Provisional and secure information is regularly posted on Epi-X. The Epi-X user base is restricted to public health officials at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Private health-care practitioners who do not otherwise hold a government position are not given access to Epi-X. As of August 2011, Epi-X has approximately 6,000 users, of which approximately 1,600 are authorized to directly contribute reports regarding developing public health events. Epi-X is frequently used to seek reports of cases of illness related to an outbreak, cluster, or increased occurrence of a specific infectious disease. The usability and usefulness of Epi-X in this capacity has not previously been assessed.
Objective
To evaluate the usability and usefulness of the Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) system, a secure online information exchange provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in assisting with case finding in response to infectious disease outbreaks and clusters that involve, or have the potential to involve, cases in multiple state-level jurisdictions within the United States