Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP
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J Public Health Manag Pract · May 2012
Comparative StudyVariations in positive predictive values for rapid influenza tests for 2009 pandemic influenza a (pH1N1)--Arizona, April-October 2009.
Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) are used for influenza screening, clinical decision making, and influenza surveillance. In August 2009, a hospital reported increased false-positive RIDT results to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Because of reported RIDT low sensitivities (40%-62%) for 2009 pandemic influenza A (pH1N1), the hospital's report raised further concerns about the specificity and clinical utility of RIDTs. ⋯ Wide PPV variability combined with documented low sensitivity among RIDTs for pH1N1 diagnosis increases concerns about their specificity and clinical and epidemiologic utility for influenza.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · May 2012
Comparative StudyComparison of electronic laboratory reports, administrative claims, and electronic health record data for acute viral hepatitis surveillance.
Public health surveillance systems for acute hepatitis are limited: clinician reporting is insensitive and electronic laboratory reporting is nonspecific. Insurance claims and electronic health records are potential alternative sources. ⋯ Laboratory surveillance using IgM tests overestimates the burden of acute hepatitis A and underestimates the burden of acute hepatitis B. Claims data are subject to many false positives. Electronic health record data are both sensitive and predictive. Electronic health record-based surveillance systems merit development.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Mar 2012
Assessing relationships between state and local public health organizations: evidence from the NACCHO 2008 profile of local health departments.
Public health systems vary by degree of centralization, reflecting the distribution of authority, responsibility, and effort between state and local public health agencies. We analyzed data from the 2008 National Association of City and County Health Officials Profile of Local Health Departments survey, and propose an improved composite measure of centralization that can be computed for all local health departments within a state, as opposed to a single state respondent, as done in 1998. ⋯ The measure was internally consistent (Cronbach α = .87) and correlated somewhat strongly with the centralization classification from the 1998 survey (Kendall's τ correlation = .62, P < .001), suggesting that a stable centralization construct can be reliably determined. This new centralization variable can facilitate more nuanced studies of public health systems, and inform policy design and implementation.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Nov 2011
Assessing and increasing patient panel size in the public sector.
Panel management is a central component of the primary care medical home, but faces numerous challenges in the safety net setting. In the San Francisco Department of Public Health, many of our community-based primary care clinics have difficulty accommodating all patients seeking care. ⋯ Routine data generation, review of data with administrators and providers, data-driven policies and panel size standards, and interventions to bolster team-based care are important tools for increasing capacity at our primary care clinics.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Nov 2011
Cancer Plan Index: a measure for assessing the quality of cancer plans.
To (1) conduct an in-depth assessment of the content of comprehensive cancer control plans and (2) obtain data that can be used to provide guidance to grantees supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) as they refine their plans, and to other health professionals as similar planning is done. ⋯ Areas of the CPI with low average component scores should stimulate technical assistance to the funded programs, either to increase program activities or to increase discussion of key activities in the plan.