Infrastructure Enhancement and Data Linkage Demonstration Project
| Grantee: | Washington State Department of Health |
|---|---|
| Contact: | Steven C. Macdonald PhD, MPH |
| Telephone: | 360-236-4253 |
| E-mail: | steven.macdonald@doh.wa.gov |
| Address: | Washington State Department of Health Office of Epidemiology P.O. Box 47812 Olympia, WA 98504-7812 |
| Web site: | http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ephtn/w-ephtn_homepage.htm [external link] |
| Funded Since: | September 30, 2002 |
| Funded Program: | National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Part B |
Program Description:
Washington State proposes to develop a blueprint for environmental public health tracking, enhance existing exposure and health effects surveillance systems, and conduct projects aimed at demonstrating data linkage to show the value of electronic reporting and the utility of linked data for policy. Washington’s primary project involves the enhancement of the Washington Electronic Disease Surveillance System’s (WEDSS) electronic hospital reporting of birth defects, the development of population-based exposure data (including a states-focused Health and Nutrition Examinations Surveys biomonitoring program), the enhancement of environmental monitoring and data analyses of persistent toxins such as mercury and PCBs. The data linkage demonstration project plans to create ecologic links based on proximity and explores individual-level methods of linkage. These three functions - electronic disease surveillance, enhanced exposure tracking, and linkage to environmental monitoring - are the major elements of the Washington Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (WEPHTN).
In addition, Washington plans to expand electronic hospital reporting to include pesticide illnesses (hospitalization and emergency department (ED) case data), and establish electronic reporting of pesticide-exposure cases by the poison control center to the Department of Health. Probabilistic record linkage methods will be used to connect individual exposure data to individual health outcome data. Finally, WEPHTN will bring together partners from the state education system and the local school districts to develop a prototype data system for school-based environmental monitoring and illness surveillance.
The project will expand the development of WEDSS infrastructure to better meet the needs of the WEPHTN. These efforts will focus on task automation, development of the integrated data repository, improvements to the alert system, and enhancement and expansion of electronic reporting. The specific improvements to electronic reporting will include:
- Improvement of electronic laboratory reporting of lead exposure
blood-test results
- Enhancement of electronic hospital reporting, including cases of
work-related asthma
- Enhancement of electronic hospital reporting and electronic
laboratory reporting, including cancer
- Establishment of electronic reporting of pesticide illness cases
by Labor and Industries Workers’ Compensation databases to DOH
Pesticide Incident Monitoring System
- Development of electronic laboratory reporting of private laboratory pesticide exposure test results.
These efforts will be complemented by coordination with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the development of metadata for linkage with the Washington Environmental Information Exchange node.
Washington’s proposal also includes plans for continued partnerships with stakeholders, the development of collaborative relationships with a range of new partners, and the establishment of a planning consortium.
Finally, Washington will:
- Develop training tools and train staff and partners
- Evaluate the program
- Develop communication and data dissemination strategies
- Examine the feasibility of selected environmental public health indicators
- Collaborate on epidemiologic studies
- Participate in CDC-sponsored discussions and workgroups.
