How Much Do You Know About Public Health Data Reporting?

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How Much Do You Know About Public Health Data Reporting?
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Nearly five years after the COVID-19 pandemic first shined a spotlight on the serious challenges that jurisdictions throughout the U.S. face in reporting timely, accurate public health data, there remains significant room for improvement.

A first-of-its-kind nationwide assessment of public health data reporting policies and practices from The Pew Charitable Trusts provides details on how data is—and is not—being shared with public health agencies within states and throughout the country.

Can you guess what the report found? Answer the questions below to find out.

Report

State Health Data Reporting Policies and Practices Vary Widely

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Report

When public health agencies lack access to clinical data, illnesses spread undetected, the health system becomes overburdened, and health care costs, illnesses, and deaths rise. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate shortcomings in the collection of public health data and their ramifications.

Article

Public Health Data Reporting: Strengths and Shortcomings

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Infectious diseases can move fast, spreading from person to person within days or sometimes mere hours. To effectively identify and reduce the spread of communicable diseases and other health threats, public health departments need timely, standardized, and complete data from doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. But this critical information is often incorrect, delayed, or simply unavailable, and a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts helps shed some light on why.