LESSON 10 ORGANIZING EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA STEPS OF OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION

ORGANIZING EPIDIMIOLOGIC DATA than we can review When we collect more records

individually, we can use tables, graphs, and charts to organize, summarize, and display the data clearly and effectively. With tables, graphs, and charts we can analyse data sets of a few dozen or a few million. These tools allow us to identify, explore, understand, and present distributions, trends, and relationships in the data. Thus tables, graphs, and charts are critical tools not only when we perform descriptive and analytic epidemiology, but also when we need to communicate our epidemiologic findings to others.

Uncovering Outbreaks
Outbreaks may be detected when routine, timely analysis of surveillance data reveals an increase in reported cases or an unusual clustering of cases. In a health department, we may detect increases in or unusual patterns of disease from the weekly tabulations of case reports by time and place or from the examination of the exposure information on the case reports themselves. For example, health department staff detected an outbreak of hepatitis B that was transmitted by a dentist because they regularly reviewed and compared the dental exposures reported for hepatitis B cases

Why Investigate Possible Outbreaks

Health departments investigate suspected outbreaks for a variety of reasons. These include :
the need to institute control and prevention measures; the opportunity for research and training; program considerations; public relations, political concerns, and legal obligations.

OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION
In investigating an outbreak, speed is essential, but getting the right answer is essential, too. To satisfy both requirements, epidemiologists approach investigations systematically, using the following 10 steps:
Prepare for field work Establish the existence of an outbreak Verify the diagnosis Define and identify cases Describe and orient the data in terms of time, place, and person Develop hypotheses Evaluate hypotheses Refine hypotheses and carry out additional studies Implement control and prevention measures Communicate findings