(P64) SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF CHANGES IN PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS ON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION SURVEILLANCE DATA QUALITY

Background:
State, tribal, local, and territorial health departments rely on public health information systems (PHIS) to maintain their surveillance data and transmit data to CDC for national surveillance. Changes to PHIS are common, including transitioning to a new PHIS or updating transmission standards (e.g., onboarding message mapping guides [MMGs] to send data to CDC via Health Level Seven standards). We examined the short-term impact of changes in a jurisdiction’s PHIS on case-based surveillance data for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with the aim of improving data quality during future transitions.

Methods:
National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) case notifications for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis were reviewed for a purposeful sample of twelve jurisdictions which had either transitioned to a new PHIS or modified their PHIS to begin transmitting STI data to CDC via the STI MMGs during 2019-2021. The number of months with impacted data transmission (reporting <10% of the jurisdiction’s average monthly cases) was determined based on weekly data files. As jurisdictions transmit STI case data via NNDSS at least weekly, a period of underreporting of ≥1 month is indicative of unresolved issues with their PHIS.

Results:
Of the nine jurisdictions that onboarded the STI MMG, the underreporting period in transmission of case data to CDC averaged 3.0 months (range: 0-10), with six jurisdictions experiencing delays. Of the three jurisdictions that changed PHIS, all had a period of underreporting, averaging 9.7 months (range: 4-18). All jurisdictions were able to provide complete data prior to annual data close out.

Conclusion:
Issues can arise during a PHIS transition that may result in a delay in the transmission of case data. These delays limit the ability to use preliminary data to identify outbreaks and changing epidemics in real time. Future research on jurisdictions that did not experience non-reporting months may identify enabling factors for a successful transition.