Measuring the HIV Care Continuum Using Public Health Surveillance Data in the United States

Eliminating perinatal transmission of HIV and improving the care of childbearing women living with HIV in the United States require public health and clinical leadership. The Comprehensive Care Workgroup of the Elimination of Perinatal HIV Transmission Stakeholders Group, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed a concept of perinatal HIV service coordination (PHSC) and identified 6 core functions through (1) semistructured exploratory interviews with contacts in 11 state or city health departments from April 2011 through February 2012, (2) literature review and summary of data on gaps in services and outcomes, and (3) group meetings from August 2010 through June 2017. We discuss leadership strategies for implementing the core functions of PHSC: strategic planning, access to services, real-time case finding, care coordination, comprehensive care, and data and case reviews. PHSC provides a systematic approach to optimize services and close gaps in perinatal HIV prevention and the HIV care continuum for childbearing women that can be individualized for jurisdictions with varying needs.

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Structural Transphobia, Homophobia, and Biphobia in Public Health Practice: The Example of COVID-19 Surveillance

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2021.306277 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. e1-e7

Author(s):

Randall L. Sell ◽

Elise I. Krims

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Public Health Surveillance ◽

Public Health Practice ◽

The United States ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Essential Information ◽

And Gender ◽

Public Health Surveillance System

Public health surveillance can have profound impacts on the health of populations, with COVID-19 surveillance offering an illuminating example. Surveillance surrounding COVID-19 testing, conﬁrmed cases, and deaths has provided essential information to public health professionals about how to minimize morbidity and mortality. In the United States, surveillance has also pointed out how populations, on the basis of geography, age, and race and ethnicity, are being impacted disproportionately, allowing targeted intervention and evaluation. However, COVID-19 surveillance has also highlighted how the public health surveillance system fails some communities, including sexual and gender minorities. This failure has come about because of the haphazard and disorganized way disease reporting data are collected, analyzed, and reported in the United States, and the structural homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia acting within these systems. We provide recommendations for addressing these concerns after examining experiences collecting race data in COVID-19 surveillance and attempts in Pennsylvania and California to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity variables into their pandemic surveillance efforts. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 10, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.3062727 )

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Exploring Temporal and Spatial Patterns in Public Health Surveillance Data

Monitoring the Health of Populations ◽

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195146493.003.0003 ◽

2003 ◽

pp. 71-98

Author(s):

Owen Devine

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Public Health Surveillance ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Surveillance Data ◽

Temporal And Spatial Patterns ◽

Temporal And Spatial ◽

Health Surveillance Data

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Electronic Health Information Quality Challenges and Interventions to Improve Public Health Surveillance Data and Practice

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/003335491312800614 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 128 (6) ◽

pp. 546-553 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Brian E. Dixon ◽

Jason A. Siegel ◽

Tanya V. Oemig ◽

Shaun J. Grannis

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Quality ◽

Public Health Surveillance ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Surveillance Data ◽

Electronic Health ◽

Health Surveillance Data ◽

Electronic Health Information

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Collection of Data on Race, Ethnicity, Language, and Nativity by US Public Health Surveillance and Monitoring Systems: Gaps and Opportunities

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354917745503 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 133 (1) ◽

pp. 45-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alfonso Rodriguez-Lainz ◽

Mariana McDonald ◽

Maureen Fonseca-Ford ◽

Ana Penman-Aguilar ◽

Stephen H. Waterman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Data Collection ◽

Public Health Surveillance ◽

The United States ◽

Health Surveillance ◽

Monitoring Systems ◽

Primary Language ◽

Use Of Data ◽

Race Ethnicity

Objective: Despite increasing diversity in the US population, substantial gaps in collecting data on race, ethnicity, primary language, and nativity indicators persist in public health surveillance and monitoring systems. In addition, few systems provide questionnaires in foreign languages for inclusion of non-English speakers. We assessed (1) the extent of data collected on race, ethnicity, primary language, and nativity indicators (ie, place of birth, immigration status, and years in the United States) and (2) the use of data-collection instruments in non-English languages among Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)–supported public health surveillance and monitoring systems in the United States. Methods: We identified CDC-supported surveillance and health monitoring systems in place from 2010 through 2013 by searching CDC websites and other federal websites. For each system, we assessed its website, documentation, and publications for evidence of the variables of interest and use of data-collection instruments in non-English languages. We requested missing information from CDC program officials, as needed. Results: Of 125 data systems, 100 (80%) collected data on race and ethnicity, 2 more collected data on ethnicity but not race, 26 (21%) collected data on racial/ethnic subcategories, 40 (32%) collected data on place of birth, 21 (17%) collected data on years in the United States, 14 (11%) collected data on immigration status, 13 (10%) collected data on primary language, and 29 (23%) used non-English data-collection instruments. Population-based surveys and disease registries more often collected data on detailed variables than did case-based, administrative, and multiple-source systems. Conclusions: More complete and accurate data on race, ethnicity, primary language, and nativity can improve the quality, representativeness, and usefulness of public health surveillance and monitoring systems to plan and evaluate targeted public health interventions to eliminate health disparities.

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