| Despite extensive research to improve reporting times, notifiable diseases are still consistently reported after required timeframes. Current and past approaches to improving reporting times have been unsuccessful, suggesting a possible overlooked aspect of this problem. This study was designed to answer whether demographic characteristics are associated with the timeliness of reporting notifiable diseases. Demographics were chosen for this exploratory study based on the almost universal association with health outcomes and the National Health Information Infrastructure, within the context of the health statistics model of the influences on the population's health. Five years' worth of data on reported cases of Category B bioterrorism agents (brucellosis, cholera, cryptosporidiosis, viral encephalitis, epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli O157:H7, glanders, melioidosis, psittacosis, Q fever, ricin toxin poisoning, salmonellosis, shingellosis, and staphylococcal enterotoxin B poisoning) in one state were studied. Logistic regression was used to test the hypotheses, which showed that the patients' county of residence, reporting source category, reporting laboratory, and the county of the reporting laboratory were associated with the timeliness of reporting notifiable diseases. Specific reporting laboratories, counties, and reporting source categories are identified as models for interventions. The data presented here can lead to new approaches toward improved reporting times for notifiable diseases, with resulting reductions in morbidity, mortality, and economic impact. In a bioterrorism attack, the benefits of improved reporting times would be even greater by reducing the impact of a perceived threat. |
