Physician Perspectives Regarding the Use of Electronic Health Records in Public Health Disease Reporting

Abstract

The collection of timely and accurate healthcare data is imperative to successful disease reporting in public health. The devastating effects of fragmented and inaccurate disease reporting became readily apparent during COVID-19. The purpose of this chapter is to review public health disease reporting practices for consideration of incorporation of electronic health records into disease reporting. The perspectives of physicians were gathered through a case study focused on disease reporting and interoperability with electronic health records. Findings from this chapter may prove useful in public health policy review and for decision-making in meaningful use legislation and health information technology integration. Findings from this research may also serve as the catalyst for additional research focused on public health industry perspectives, various disease reporting mandates, and the incorporation of health information technology into public health disease reporting processes.