The National Notifiable Diseases Database (NDDB): A New Resource for Public Health Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) Conference May 27, 2014 Shivoan Balakumar, Project Manager, National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Outline 1)NCCPH and NCCID – Public health knowledge translation 2) Notifiable disease (ND) reporting policy in Canada Inaccuracies, Inconsistencies and Inefficiencies 3) The Notifiable Diseases Database (NDDB) Objectives Content How it works 4) Discussion and Questions

The National Collaborating Centres for Public Health (NCCPH)

The National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) Objectives Encourage the integration of evidence of infectious diseases in public health programs, policies, and practices. Encourage collaborative responses by relevant stakeholders, including public health policy makers, practitioners, and researchers, to public health issues and needs in the area of infectious diseases Past and Current Projects Emerging Respiratory Infections Influenza Antimicrobial Resistance HIV and STI Prevention Outreach to Priority Populations Visit

Notifiable Disease Reporting in Canada A national notifiable disease is “distinguished from other infectious diseases by the requirement to report the instance of the disease, either nationally or internationally” (Public Health Agency of Canada). Reporting is mandated by provincial and territorial legislation (Public Health Act), but ND lists and other reporting details (e.g. case definitions) are generally outlined in associated regulations and communicable disease guidelines/manuals. Reporting is voluntary at the federal level (PHAC) and done by mutual agreement with provinces and territories Canada has an obligation under International Health Regulations to report to the WHO any event that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

Notifiable Disease Reporting in Canada NCCID undertook a critical examination of ND reporting policy across Canada and learned that: 1)Jurisdictions vary significantly in: a) What exactly must be reported (disease, degree of certainty, case definition, accompanying information, etc.) b) Who must report the information (physicians, lab technologists, veterinarians, etc.) c) How the information must be reported (location, method of submission, immediacy, etc.) 2) Jurisdiction-specific, ND reporting policy that is relevant for public health practitioners and policy makers is not easily retrievable or comparable This may result in…

Notifiable Disease Reporting in Canada A)Knowledge gaps and underreporting among those expected to report on notifiable diseases (Inaccuracies) B)Jurisdictional disease counts that can/should not be compared (or aggregated) due to their qualitative differences (Inconsistencies) C)Significant time dedicated to sifting through legislation, regulations and communicable disease manuals when trying to access relevant ND policy information (Inefficiencies) …Inaccuracies, Inconsistencies, Inefficiencies

Enter… The NDDB!

The Notifiable Diseases Database (NDDB) 1)To improve ND knowledge translation by providing a central location where federal/provincial/territorial (FPT) ND lists and legislated reporting requirements can be easily retrieved and compared 2)To stimulate discussion about ND case definitions and reporting criteria across Canada – help address legislative gaps and improve consistency of surveillance of notifiable diseases Objectives Target Users Health care professionals Public health officials Policy makers Researchers / Epidemiologists (Fr:

The Notifiable Diseases Database (NDDB) A list of what specific diseases must be reported in each province and territory The degree of certainty that is required for reporting (confirmed, probable, suspect) The case definition for each disease Who must report the disease To whom diseases must be reported How quickly diseases must be reported A link to a source for the above information Content

NDDB – Home Page

NDDB – Jurisdiction Search

NDDB – Jurisdiction Search Results Jurisdictions Notifiable Disease terms

NDDB – Disease Search

NDDB – Disease Search Results

NDDB – Disease Details Case Definitions Reporting Requirements Source

NDDB – General Search Smart Search Box Highlighted Results

NDDB - Discussion and Questions ( ( Acknowledgements The Public Health Agency of Canada The International Centre for Infectious Diseases Production of this presentation has been made possible through the financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Thank You!