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Quinn C, Poirot E, Sanders Kim A, Viswanath AL, Patel SN, Abramson DM, Piltch-Loeb R. Variations in Healthcare Provider Use of Public Health and Other Information Sources by Provider Type and Practice Setting During New York City's Response to the Emerging Threat of Zika Virus Disease, 2016. Health Secur 2018; 16:252-261. [PMID: 30133373 DOI: 10.1089/hs.2018.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) used multiple methods to provide guidance to healthcare providers on the management and prevention of Zika virus disease during 2016. To better understand providers' use of information sources related to emerging disease threats, this article describes reported use of information sources by NYC providers to stay informed about Zika, and patterns observed by provider type and practice setting. We sent an electronic survey to all email addresses in the Provider Data Warehouse, a system used to maintain information from state and local health department sources on all prescribing healthcare providers in NYC. The survey asked providers about their use of information sources, including specific information products offered by the NYC DOHMH, to stay informed about Zika during 2016. Trends by provider type and practice setting were described using summary statistics. The survey was sent to 44,455 unique email addresses; nearly 20% (8,711) of the emails were undeliverable. Ultimately, 1,447 (5.8%) eligible providers completed the survey. Most respondents (79%) were physicians. Overall, the most frequently reported source of information from the NYC DOHMH was the NYC Health Alert Network (73%). Providers in private practice reported that they did not use any NYC DOHMH source of information about Zika more frequently than did those working in hospital settings (29% vs 23%); similarly, private practitioners reported that they did not use any other source of information about Zika more frequently than did those working in hospital settings (16% vs 8%). Maintaining timely and accurate databases of healthcare provider contact information is a challenge for local public health agencies. Effective strategies are needed to identify and engage independently practicing healthcare providers to improve communications with all healthcare providers during public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia Quinn
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Eugenie Poirot
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Afua Sanders Kim
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Aishwarya L Viswanath
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Sneha N Patel
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - David M Abramson
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Rachael Piltch-Loeb
- Celia Quinn, MD, is a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Field Services Branch, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, and with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. Eugenie Poirot, PhD, is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, CDC, Atlanta, and with the Division of Epidemiology, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Afua Sanders Kim is Executive Director, IT Informatics, Information Technology, and Telecommunications; Aishwarya L. Viswanath, MPH, is Research Scientist, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response; and Sneha N. Patel, MSW, MPH, is Director of Evaluation, Bureau of Agency Preparedness and Response, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response; all in the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY. David M. Abramson, PhD, is Clinical Associate Professor, and Rachael Piltch-Loeb, MSPH, is a doctoral candidate; both in the College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY
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Revere D, Calhoun R, Baseman J, Oberle M. Exploring bi-directional and SMS messaging for communications between Public Health Agencies and their stakeholders: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2015; 15:621. [PMID: 26152142 PMCID: PMC4494811 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1980-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Communication technologies that enable bi-directional/two-way communications and cell phone texting (SMS) between public health agencies and their stakeholders may improve public health surveillance, ensure targeted distribution of alerts to hard-to-reach populations, reduce mortality and morbidity in an emergency, and enable a crucial feedback loop between public health agencies and the communities they serve. Building on prior work regarding health care provider preferences for receiving one-way public health communications by email, fax or SMS, we conducted a formative, exploratory study to understand how a bi-directional system and the incorporation of SMS in that system might be used as a strategy to send and receive messages between public health agencies and community-based organizations which serve vulnerable populations, health care providers, and public health workers. Our research question: Under what conditions and/or situations might public health agencies utilize bi-directional and/or SMS messaging for disseminating time-sensitive public health information (alerts, advisories, updates, etc.) to their stakeholders? Methods A mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) study was conducted between April and July 2014. Data collection included a survey distributed to health care providers and semi-structured interviews with providers, community- and government-based organization leaders and directors, and public health agency internal workforce staff. Survey respondents and interviewees were asked about their exposure to public health messages, how these messages are received and how the information in these messages are handled, and in what situations (for example, a local vs. a national event, a pandemic or emergency vs. a health update) a bi-directional and/or SMS messaging system might improve communications between public health agencies and their stakeholder group. Interview and survey data were qualitatively analyzed. Thematic codes were quantitized into dichotomous variables of 0 or 1 on a per respondent basis to enumerate the presence or absence of each thematic code, enable quantitative analysis, and inform interpretation of findings. Results Five major themes emerged from synthesizing survey and interview results: 1) Regardless of situational context (emergency vs. non-urgent) and message recipient (stakeholder group), e-mail is a favored modality for receiving public health messages; 2) The decision to use bi-directional, SMS or multiple communication strategies is complex and public health agencies’ need to manage messaging concerns/barriers and benefits for all parties; 3) Both public health agencies and their stakeholders share similar values/uses and concerns regarding two-way public health messaging and SMS; 4) Public health is highly trusted, thus thoughtful, effective messaging will ensure continuation of this goodwill; and 5) Information reciprocity between public health agencies and stakeholders who share their information is essential. Conclusions Multiple communication strategies might be utilized but the choice of a specific strategy needs to balance message content (emergency vs. routine communications), delivery (one- vs. two-way), channel (SMS, email, etc.), and public health agency burden with stakeholder preferences and technical capabilities, all while mitigating the risk of message overload and disregard of important communications by recipients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1980-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra Revere
- Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
| | - Rebecca Calhoun
- Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
| | - Janet Baseman
- Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA. .,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Box 357236, Seattle, WA, 98195-7236, USA.
| | - Mark Oberle
- Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA. .,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Box 357236, Seattle, WA, 98195-7236, USA.
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