While all states have regulations requiring reporting of diseases from healthcare professionals and facilities, underreporting is substantial. To improve reporting to the New York State (NYS) Occupational Lung Disease Registry (OLDR), the NYS Department of Health's Bureau of Occupational Health initiated a multimedia campaign to increase case ascertainment and establish communication channels and partnerships for conducting prevention. The outreach campaign was successful in raising physician awareness about the OLDR, familiarizing physicians with reporting forms and procedures, and increasing physician reporting. It also raised awareness of the contribution of occupational factors to respiratory illness and other conditions. However, while our evaluation indicated it is possible to affect short-term outcomes, such as knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among health-care providers, the campaign was not as successful in promoting sustained reporting.
References
1.
GermanRRLeeLMHoranJMMilsteinRLPetrowskiCAWallerMN. Updated guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems: recommendations from the Guidelines Working Group. MMWR Recomm Rep2001;50(RR-13):1–35.
2.
RoushSBirkheadGKooDCobbAFlemingD. Mandatory reporting of diseases and conditions by health care professionals and laboratories. JAMA1999;282:164–70.
3.
Summary of notifiable diseases, United States, 1998. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep1999;47(53):1–92.
DoyleTJGlynnMKGrosecloseSL. Completeness of notifiable infectious disease reporting in the United States: an analytical literature review. Am J Epidemiol2002;155:866–74.
6.
AzaroffLSLevensteinCWegmanDH. Occupational injury and illness surveillance: conceptual filters explain underreporting. Am J Public Health2002;92:1421–9.
7.
FreundESeligmanPJChorbaTLSaffordSKDrachmanJGHullHF. Mandatory reporting of occupational diseases by clinicians. JAMA1989;262:3041–4.
8.
RutsteinDDMullanRJFrazierTMHalperinWEMeliusJMSestitoJP. Sentinel health events (occupational): a basis for physician recognition and public health surveillance. Am J Public Health1983;73:1054–62.
9.
JajoskyRAHarrisonRReinischFFlatteryJChanJTumpowskyC. Surveillance of work-related asthma in selected U.S. states using surveillance guidelines for state health departments—California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993–1995. MMWR Surveill Summ1999;48(SS-3):1–20.
KonowitzPPetrossianGARoseDN. The underreporting of disease and physicians' knowledge of reporting requirements. Public Health Rep1984;99:31–5.
13.
SeixasNRosenmanKD. Voluntary reporting system for occupational disease: pilot project, evaluation. Public Health Rep1986;101:278–82.
14.
MarierR. The reporting of communicable diseases. Am J Epidemiol1977;105:587–90.
15.
CleereRLDoughertyWJFiumaraNJJenikeCLentzJWRoseNJ. Physicians' attitudes toward venereal disease reporting. A survey by the National Opinion Research Center. JAMA1967;202:941–6.
16.
DavisDAThomsonMAOxmanADHaynesRB. Changing physician performance. A systematic review of the effect of continuing medical education strategies. JAMA1995;274:700–5.
ByszewskiAGrahamIAmosSMan-Son-HingMDalzielWMarshallS. A continuing medical education initiative for Canadian primary care physicians: the driving and dementia toolkit: a pre- and postevaluation of knowledge, confidence gained, and satisfaction. J Am Geriatr Soc2003;51:1484–9.
19.
RabinDLBoekelooBOMarxESBowmanMARussellNKWillisAG. Improving office-based physicians' prevention practices for sexually transmitted diseases. Ann Intern Med1994;121:513–9.
20.
SchaffnerWScottHDRosensteinBJByrneEB. Innovative communicable disease reporting. HSMHA Health Rep1971;86:431–6.
21.
RogersEM. Diffusion of innovations. 4th ed.New York: Free Press; 1995.
ValenteTW. Evaluating communication campaigns. In: RiceREAtkinCK, editors. Public communication campaigns. 3rd ed.Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage Publications, Inc.; 2001. p. 105–24.
29.
FestingerLCarlsmithJM. Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. J Abnorm Psychol1959;58:203–10.
