Table 1 Importance of Services Provided by Public Health Epidemiologists to Local Health Departments
Service | Very important (%) | Somewhat important (%) | Not important (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
Respond directly to LHD's requests for information needed from a patient's medical record for reporting or investigation purposes. | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Report cases of CD at their hospital to LHD for patients that reside in county or health district. | 99.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
Proactively inform LHD of unusual cases/clusters of CD at their hospital. | 94.1 | 5.9 | 0.0 |
Facilitate LHD's access to physicians or others at their hospital who can provide information needed from a patient's medical record for reporting or investigation purposes. | 94.1 | 5.9 | 0.0 |
Refer patients (or family members of patients) with a CD for follow-up services, as needed. | 91.5 | 7.6 | 0.8 |
Pass on new or timely information from NCDPH, their hospital, and/or CDC regarding diseases of public health importance. | 72.9 | 25.4 | 1.7 |
Conduct interviews with patients and/or their family members at LHD's request. | 63.6 | 30.5 | 5.9 |
Provide regular reports on influenza cases at their hospital during flu season. | 56.8 | 38.1 | 5.1 |
Meet regularly with LHD staff to review reportable cases, provide updates, and/or share information. | 42.4 | 49.2 | 8.5 |
Meet with LHD's Epidemiology Team to review cases, provide updates, and/or share information. | 36.4 | 50.8 | 12.7 |