This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Evaluation of an Active Surveillance System

Mary E. Chamberland, MD, MPH; James R. Allen, MD, MPH; James M. Monroe, MS; Nelson Garcia; Carl Morgan; Rebecca Reiss, MS; Harvard Stephens; Juliette Walker, MS; Stephen M. Friedman, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1985;254(3):383-387.

Abstract
In January 1983, the New York City Department of Health initiated an active surveillance program for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 19 hospitals and a modified-active surveillance program in the remaining 69 hospitals. We reviewed hospital laboratory and autopsy records in 12 active surveillance hospitals and three modified-active surveillance hospitals six months later. Patients who had opportunistic diseases characteristic of AIDS diagnosed in 1982 (before active surveillance) and 1983 (after implementation of active surveillance) were matched against health department AIDS surveillance reports. For the 16 months we evaluated, 96% of patients identified with AIDS in the 12 active surveillance hospitals and 100% of those in the three modified-active surveillance hospitals had been reported to the health department. The delay between diagnosing a case and reporting it to the health department significantly decreased between 1981 and the first six months of 1983 in all hospitals. The proportion of cases reported within one month of diagnosis increased from 45% to 69% during this period. We conclude that the current surveillance program for AIDS in New York City is effective and that case reporting is sufficiently complete for accurate analysis of disease trends.

(JAMA 1985;254:383-387)

Author Affiliations
From the Division of Field Services, Epidemiology Program Office (Dr Chamberland), and the AIDS Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases (Dr Allen), Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta; and the New York City Department of Health (Dr Friedman, Messers Monroe, Garcia, Morgan, and Stephens, and Mss Reiss and Walker). Dr Chamberland is now with the Hospital Infections Program, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Surveillance Section, AIDS Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333 (Dr Allen).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Completeness of Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting in the United States: An Analytical Literature Review
Doyle et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:866-874.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Completeness of AIDS Case Reporting in New York City
Greenberg et al.
JAMA 1993;269:2995-3001.
ABSTRACT  

Underreporting of AIDS in South Carolina
Mokotoff and Galbraith
JAMA 1990;263:2449-2450.
ABSTRACT  

Underreporting of AIDS Cases in South Carolina, 1986 and 1987
Conway et al.
JAMA 1989;262:2859-2863.
ABSTRACT  

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Among Adolescents: Case Surveillance Profiles in New York City and the Rest of the United States
Vermund et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1989;143:1220-1225.
ABSTRACT  

Leads from the MMWR
JAMA 1986;256:3205-3208.
 

The Impact of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome on Patterns of Premature Death in New York City
Kristal
JAMA 1986;255:2306-2310.
ABSTRACT