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National and Regional Representativeness of Hospital Emergency Department Visit Data in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program, United States, 2014

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2016

Ralph J. Coates ,
Alejandro Pérez ,
Atar Baer ,
Hong Zhou ,
Roseanne English ,
Michael Coletta  and
Achintya Dey
Ralph J. Coates*
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Alejandro Pérez
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Atar Baer
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle, Washington.
Hong Zhou
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Roseanne English
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Michael Coletta
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Achintya Dey
Affiliation:
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Ralph J. Coates, PhD, Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333 (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objective

We examined the representativeness of the nonfederal hospital emergency department (ED) visit data in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP).

Methods

We used the 2012 American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database, other databases, and information from state and local health departments participating in the NSSP about which hospitals submitted data to the NSSP in October 2014. We compared ED visits for hospitals submitting data with all ED visits in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Results

Approximately 60.4 million of 134.6 million ED visits nationwide (~45%) were reported to have been submitted to the NSSP. ED visits in 5 of 10 regions and the majority of the states were substantially underrepresented in the NSSP. The NSSP ED visits were similar to national ED visits in terms of many of the characteristics of hospitals and their service areas. However, visits in hospitals with the fewest annual ED visits, in rural trauma centers, and in hospitals serving populations with high percentages of Hispanics and Asians were underrepresented.

Conclusions

NSSP nonfederal hospital ED visit data were representative for many hospital characteristics and in some geographic areas but were not very representative nationally and in many locations. Representativeness could be improved by increasing participation in more states and among specific types of hospitals. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:562–569)

Keywords

syndromic surveillancesituational awarenesspublic health preparedness
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 562 - 569
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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